Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
by thatredheadgirl
Summary: It's a long emotional road for Danny after he realizes something monumental in terms of his relationship with Steve. Will Steve react the way Danny wants or will their partnership be forever changed?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; anything pertaining to Hawaii Five-0 belongs to the creators of the show and CBS.**

_**Author's Note: Holy moly people, this is my 30**__**th**__** story. I'm still overwhelmed by the amazing response my other Five-0 stories have gotten. I want to give a humongous thank you to Stephaniequeen for giving me the idea that launched this story. This story is going to be much longer than the other ones and I hope that you all enjoy this story. **_

It hit Danny completely out of the blue one day. He was sitting in his office his mind going numb from paperwork, when he happened to look up and see Steve smiling at Chin across the smart table. Seeing Steve smile, not only brought a smile to Danny's face, but a tingling and fluttering to his stomach. He wasn't new to feeling like this; he had felt something along these lines when he first met Rachel. That thought made Danny sit up straight in his chair and a cold sweat break out across his forehead.

There is no way that he could be attracted or in love with his very male, very straight partner, right? For the rest of the day Danny ignored the paperwork piling up on his desk and began looking through the evidence. The conclusion he came to was startling; he had been gradually and ever so slowly falling in love with Steven J. McGarrett.

Now that he's realized his feelings towards his partner, what was he going to do with this information? Sure he was in love with Steve, but it was mostly love of family and the attraction so minute that Danny reasoned that he could ignore or live with the way he felt about his partner. Because really what other option did he have? It wasn't like Steve was magically going to feel the same, no Danny knows that Steve would probably have to be slowly brought to the same conclusion that Danny had come to.

But before he jumps into anything, he needs to take some time and let this emotional bombshell calm down a little bit. Because unlike some people Danny knows (_cough Steven cough_), Danny likes to approach matters of the heart with a well thought out plan and a calm level head. So Danny's going to let it go for awhile and see just where this information goes, it's the only way that Danny's going to make it through this.

Of course, Danny finds himself spending his first morning off in a while, hiking with one Steven McGarrett. Danny thought for sure he was dreaming when Steve called him that morning and invited him to go hiking, because the last Danny checked Steve preferred to work out alone. But part of Danny is also immensely happy that Steve had thought to invite him and even went as far to make sure that Danny was prepared, more prepared than he was the last time.

"If we find a dead body this time, I swear Steven I will never do anything remotely like this with you again." Danny whines as Steve drives towards the mountains, he glances briefly from the road in front of him and smirks at Danny.

"Trust me I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time." Danny glances down at Steve's arm, the arm that had suffered a nasty break because they happened to stumble across a body. Danny still isn't sure that Steve didn't plant the body there to give them something to do, he swears that a Steve that has too much time on his hands, is not a good Steve to have around.

"Minus the whole broken arm thing, I think you secretly loved it. You thrive off of things like that, you being an Army Neanderthal and all." Danny smirks seeing Steve tighten his grip on the wheel ever so slightly.

"Navy, Danny, navy. When are you going to get it through your thick over gelled head? Do you need to write it five hundred times?" Steve joked shooting Danny a sly smile that made Danny's body tingle with warmth. _Damnit, get a grip Williams._ Danny reprimands himself as Steve parks his truck and hops out.

"Yeah I'll do that when you admit that police procedure is actually valid." Steve chuckles, shaking his head at the quick responses that Danny seems to have stored in his head ready for him to throw out at the drop of a dime. Without responding Steve grabs his pack and waits for Danny to lace up his hiking boots and grab his pack as well. He's been waiting for the perfect time to get back out here with Danny, after the last time when things ended so badly with Steve being taken away by helicopter to the hospital while Danny was stuck babysitting their victim, Steve felt that he needed to almost make it up to Danny for it.

So when they solved their case yesterday and the governor deemed that they needed some time off to decompress and regroup, Steve thought he had the perfect opportunity. He liked hiking with Danny, because it gave him an opportunity to learn even more about his partner which then brought them closer. The closer he got to Danny the more he trusted Danny and it was nice to know that when they went out into the field that Steve didn't have to worry about his partner not having his back. So basically this was Steve's way of bonding with Danny.

Making their way through the gorgeous mountains, Danny found himself spilling things to Steve that he had never thought to tell anyone else. He told him little things he remembered about growing up as the oldest in Jersey with two working parents to big things about his fears over parenting a pre-teen soon to be teenage girl. Steve actively listened, taking time to process what Danny was saying before replying. Steve would also share things about growing up on the island and back on the mainland. The conversation that flowed easily between them distracted them from the hike and made it more pleasurable than the last time.

Since they were busy sharing their childhoods, neither of them noticed the rain clouds that had rolled in until big fat raindrops began to pelt down on them. "Shit." Steve cursed as a loud rumble of thunder drowned out what he said. "We need to find cover to wait out the storm." Danny nodded quickly following Steve as he turned and backtracked towards the bank of trees they had just passed. Once they were covered, they waited silently as the loud thunderstorm played out above them.

As they sat there in silence Danny found himself letting his mind wonder back to the dark corner that held his feelings for Steve. He found himself thinking more and more about the amount of time they were spending together and if Steve was trying to tell him something by inviting him on this little adventures and sharing such personal things about himself. That little flicker of hope made Danny's heart pound a little bit faster, his seemingly innocent crush wasn't as innocent or as small as he thought it was. No, he knew that his feelings were much deeper than a simple crush.

So Danny needs a plan. Sure he knows how to woo females, he had been married remember? But this time was different, and not just because Steve was a male. No Danny was going to need help trying to figure out the proper way to woo someone like Steven. So Danny was going to need a wingman or special helper to make this a successful special op. And Danny only knew of one person that would be able to aid him in this operation.

The following afternoon Danny found himself sitting in his office, trying to make a dent in the pile of paperwork that was cluttering his desk. Even though he was supposed to be taking some time off, Danny couldn't sit in his apartment or even hang out with Steve, not after he had discovered just how deep and intense his feelings for Steve went. No Danny needed something to do to occupy his mind before he became obsessive and spent all of this time thinking about what he was going to do with this whole, 'I love Steve' thing going on in his head and heart. So Danny decided that an empty office and a stack of paperwork was exactly what he needed.

The ringing of Danny's phone brought him out of his paperwork haze. He smiled when he caught sight of the time. "Hey Monkey." Danny greeted smiling brightly at the sound of his precious daughter's voice. He knew that she was exactly what he needed to hear after his somewhat depressing and emotionally draining afternoon.

As he listened to Grace excitedly tell him every detail of what had happened at school Danny spotted Kono walking into the main part of their lobby and jumped out of his chair rapping on the glass of his office. Kono turned towards the sound as Danny motioned for her to come into the office. Kono was exactly the person he would need to help him, plus she would probably be overjoyed that Danny had finally realized how he felt about Steve.

Kono took a seat in front of Danny while Danny finished his conversation with Grace. "Danno loves you too Monkey, I'll see you tomorrow." Danny hung up and smiled at Kono.

"Hey Danny, what are you doing here?" Kono asked still unsure as to why Danny was at the office on their day off.

"All this paperwork was bothering me, so I came in to make a dent in it. But you are just the person I'm looking for. I need your help." He started coming around to half sit half lean on the edge of his desk in front of her.

"I'm not doing paperwork for you brah, Steve might be able to pawn some of it off on me and I love you, but no." Danny chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"It's not about paperwork Kono, it's more personal than that." Kono sat forward in her chair, her curiosity piqued.

"How personal?" She asked resisting the urge to grin like an idiot.

"I might need some assistance in making myself more appealing to a certain Navy SEAL, who happens to be our bonehead of a boss." Kono's mouth fell open before she began to squeal like a child that had just been told they were going to Disney World.

"You need help wooing Steve?" She gasped out through her giggles, bouncing up and down in her seat. "I can't believe this! It's about damn time cuz; I mean seriously I was going to have to intervene soon." Danny sighed, rolling his eyes at her excitement.

"Seriously Kono, I want to take this as slow as possible as to not alert Steve that I am in fact, as you say 'wooing' him. I just want to see if I could get him to return my feeling, that's all. So will you help me?" Danny's seriousness helped to calm Kono down a tad, but she was still excited that Danny wanted her help.

"Of course I'll help you Danny, we're ohana remember? And I know exactly the first step we need to take in Operation Woo McGarrett."

"First off, you need a better title than Woo McGarrett, but we'll work on it. Secondly, what does your romantically devious mind have in store for me?" Danny asked bracing himself for something absolutely crazy to come out of her mouth.

"You and I are going surfing." Danny blanched at the mention of surfing but swallowed loudly and nodded, trying not to let his fears completely overtake his body. Everything they did was all in the name of love, and Danny really wanted Steve to return his feelings.

But like they say, Rome wasn't built in a day so Danny sure did have his work cut out for him.

_**A/N 2: So how'd I do? I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Like always don't hesitate to tell me (good, bad, or indifferent) what you thought about this story. And thank you for even taking the time to read this story. Until next time ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing like always, I'm just merely borrowing that which belongs to CBS and the creators of Five-0.**

_**Author's Note: Wow! I am absolutely blown away by the response the first chapter got, it makes me so happy (and boosts my ego a little bit) to know that so many people have reviewed and alerted for this story. I try to reply to everyone that reviews, because I feel it's the least I can do because you take the time to let me know what you thought of the chapter, but if by some chance I might have missed you I apologize profusely for that. Yet again I can't thank you enough for all the love this story seems to be getting.**_

"Danny don't throw your board down in the sand like that." Kono reminded for the fifth time in the span of an hour. Seriously, for a detective who could catch the littlest thing, he didn't seem to be able to remember the proper way to place his board in the sand. Danny looked between his fallen board and Kono for a few moments before shaking his head, picking it up and stabbing it in the sand.

"Are you sure this is going to help me? I mean I don't want to be surf buddies with Steve." Danny whined throwing himself in the sand, resisting the urge to pout like Grace would, Danny had more pride than that.

"Danny, surfing is something that Steve enjoys doing. You're learning so that you can show Steve that you're committed to him, learning to surf shows that you are willing to try things he likes. It's all about finding that common thread. You don't have to be surf buddies, but at least if Steve suggests maybe some morning surfing, you won't be a fish out of water." She explains fighting to keep her impatience from her voice. She knows how hard it is for Danny to give up control and trust her, but really she's trying to help him not only woo Steve, but bond with Steve. "So get down and practice your paddling." She commands giving just enough of her death glare to make Danny grab his board and drop down without a peep.

"I hate it when you're right." Danny grumbles paddling his way into the sand. Kono just smiles and tells him to pop up, correcting his foot placement before telling him to do it again. "You sound so much like Steve sometimes, it's scary."

"I learned from the best brah, now pop up." She commands applauding him when he only screws up his foot placement a little bit. "You're getting it, just a few more times and you'll be catching waves in no time." Danny genuinely smiled, glad that this two hours of fake paddling in the sand were beginning to pay off. She made Danny practice popping up a few more times, before she deemed that their first lesson was a success. "Come on surfer boy, coco puffs are on me." Danny smiled and shook his head, making sure to pick up his board the proper way before following Kono back to the parking lot.

"Thanks for helping me Kono and for not laughing at me too hard this morning." Danny said as he bit into his coco puff.

"Danny, how many times do I have to tell you? We're ohana and I help out my ohana. Plus I happen to be a sucker for romance and you and Steve are just too adorable together to resist."

"Yeah, I hope this all works out. But I have the sinking feeling that it's all going to blow up in my face." Danny replied, finally voicing one of his main concerns about this whole plan. Having feelings and making a plan to reveal said feelings is completely different than actually having a relationship come out of this. Danny's been watching Steve since he came to his life changing revelation and the mixed signals he's getting from his partner are not helping his confidence with this plan.

"It's easier to turn friendship into love, than love into a friendship Danny. That's why we're doing all of this. We're making the tight bond you and Steve already share even stronger, that way Steve will see just how great you guys are for each other. I mean honestly who else is going to put up with Steve as well as you do? That's right nobody." Kono said wrapping her arm around Danny's shoulder and squeezing him tight to her. "So relax and get another coco puff, let the sugary goodness melt in your mouth and make you happy." Danny shook his head but grabbed another coco puff before shutting the box and following Kono into the office, completely forgetting about the board sitting in his car.

Danny had completely forgotten about his board sitting in his car, until they caught a case and Steve and Danny had to drive out to the crime scene. Mentally smacking himself in the head, Danny took a deep breath and quickly jogged to the car. "Hey Kono unlock your car!" Danny called swiping the keys to the Camaro out of Steve's hands and unlocking the car. Kono stopped confused for a moment before her eyes lit up in recognition and smiled popping the lock on her car.

"I'll hold on to it for you." Kono replied tossing her keys to Danny before getting in the car with Chin. Danny smiled again and quickly threw his orange surf board in with Kono's and locked the car walking back over to Steve.

"What was that?" Steve asked looking confused between the Camaro and Kono's car.

"What was what?" Danny replied, hoping his act dumb routine was enough for Steve. "Are you going to start the car or are you waiting for Chin to send you an engraved invitation to the scene?" Steve shook his head but started the car, letting the subject drop for about five seconds.

"Why do you have a surf board?" Steve asked a few moments after they had pulled away from the palace.

"Why does anyone have a surf board? Obviously I'm taking surf lessons." Danny replied the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You're taking surf lessons?" Steve asked glancing slyly over at Danny, who tried not to blush too hard. He really didn't want to Steve to dig too deeply into his newfound hobby because that would not only piss Kono off but would ruin the plan.

"Yes I am taking surf lessons, Grace wanted to learn and I thought it would be a nice thing for us to do together." Steve smirked telling Danny with his eyes that he didn't completely believe what he was saying. "Do not smirk at me Steven and do not look at me as if I am lying. I thought it would be a nice way to bond with Grace if I could surf. But I cannot afford the surf instructor that Rachel hired for Grace, so I asked Kono." Danny replied watching Steve to see a quick darkness flash over his eyes and tried not to smirk too hard.

"You asked Kono to teach you, when you knew full well that I could just have easily taught you?" Steve asked, confused by the jealously coursing through his veins. He surely wasn't jealous that Kono was the one that got to see Danno is his swim trunks and actually going in the water. No, he was just a little upset that Danny didn't think that Steve would teach him.

"Yes I asked Kono, I didn't think you would do it because I know that Catherine is in town and that you like to spend time with her when she's on leave. So really I thought I was doing you a favor." Danny huffed back trying not to smile at the obvious jealously in Steve's tone.

"I would've done it Danny. Catherine in town or not, I would've helped out my friend." Danny blushed lightly at the now almost hurtful tone that Steve had taken on and it made Danny's heart beat a little bit harder.

"Bullshit Steven, I am not your friend." Danny replied making Steve look sharply at him as they pulled up to the crime scene. "You and I both know that I am your best friend." Danny replied quickly jumping out of the car and heading over towards Kono, a huge smile spread across his face. Steve just shook his head and got out of the car, his jealously and confusion immediately forgotten as Kono gave them the run down for the case.

_**A/N 2: I just love a Jealous Steve, even if he has no idea why he's jealous. I hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and like always let me know what you thought (good, bad, indifferent). ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything related to Five-0, except the operation title and the plot line. But yeah that doesn't get me any closer to Scott Caan or Alex O'Loughlin.**

_**Author's Note: Wow, you guys truly are the best. Thank you for reviewing and continuing to read this story.**_

"Hey Super SEAL, you wanna grab something to eat?" Danny asked coming into Steve's office. Steve looked up from his desk and starred at Danny for a few seconds. "My treat." Danny added leaning against the door jam. Steve starred at him for a few more seconds, scrutinizing Danny to see if he would break.

"Your treat? Don't you usually bitch that I'm the one that always forgets my wallet and you end up paying?" Steve asked leaning forward on his elbows, looking up expectantly at Danny.

"Yeah, but that was before. Now I'm offering to take you out for a bite to eat. If you don't want to, just say no. Stop wasting time Steven, I'm hungry and it's been a long day." Danny ran a hand through his hair, messing up his usually gelled hair. After the case they closed today Danny really didn't want to order a pizza and be stuck in his apartment by himself. Plus he was kind of proud of the way Steve acted today; although he still acted recklessly Steve seemed to be a little bit more controlled than other times.

Steve smiled and chuckled lightly at the slight frown on Danny's face and stood up from his desk. "Dinner sounds good." Danny can't help but scoff at him muttering things about stupid SEALS messing with hungry Italians and other things that Steve can't make out as he turned to leave the office. Steve just laughed as they make their way out of the palace and towards the Camaro. There are just sometimes when it's just too easy to rile Danny up and to be honest, it's becoming one of Steve's favorite things to do. "We going anywhere special?" Steve asked as Danny turns in the opposite direction of his house.

"I'm in the mood for Italian, so we're heading to one of my favorite restaurants on this pineapple infested island that okay?" Steve nods motioning with his hands that he has no problem with Danny's plans. "Good because if it was you'd have to suck it up anyway." Danny snapped before taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Everything okay Danno?" Steve asked, noticing the anger and almost sadness seeping through Danny's voice. He racked his brains for a few moments wondering if he couldn't have done anything to upset his partner, but he was coming up empty. Nothing he had done in the past couple of days was different from any other day. Danny glanced over at Steve, mentally debating if it was a good idea to open up to Steve. He knew that Steve wouldn't mock him for the way he was feeling, but he wasn't sure that it wouldn't make Steve upset.

"Just homesick that's all." Danny replied, his tone suggesting that he was just going to leave it at that. He didn't want to bring up his parents because he knew it was at times, a sore subject for Steve.

"You can talk about it Danny. I like hearing about your family." Steve replied his gazed locked on the cars around them. He could tell that Danny was avoiding bringing up his parents because of Steve's lack of parents. "It brings up happy memories for me." He added for good measure.

"I've never missed my mom's birthday before, so I feel insanely guilty that I couldn't be there this year." Danny started gripping the steering wheel a little tighter at the wave of guilt.

"You have a lot of vacation time saved up; you could've gone if you wanted to." Steve offered, knowing that it wasn't just vacation time that prohibited Danny from traveling home.

"Yeah, but Rachel wouldn't let Grace miss any school to go. And I would feel horrible if I went home for mom's birthday without her." Steve nodded picturing how the conversation with Rachel probably had gone. He didn't have a problem with Rachel, but he didn't agree with the way she seemed to control Danny's interactions with Grace, making sure that he did only what she wanted him to do. He could see how upset it made Danny to always have to ask permission to do pretty much anything with his daughter.

"I bet your mom understood though." Steve offered, at a loss as to what else to offer his clearly upset partner. It's not like he had any control or power to change the way Rachel acts with Danny.

"Of course my mom understood, she's got a big heart and knows that I would've brought Grace if I could. But that doesn't mean that she didn't have a few choice words for Rachel and her leash that she has me on. It made me laugh hearing some of the things she had to say let me tell you." Steve smiled softly and felt his heart get a little lighter.

"I thought your mom liked Rachel?" Steve asked as they pulled up in front of the little restaurant. Danny paused after he had cut the engine and turned to Steve, completely serious.

"My mom likes Rachel because she is the mother of my child, she will always be nice to Rachel. But my mom doesn't like the way in which Rachel acts in regards to Grace and I so mom will not be inviting Rachel over for tea anytime soon." Steve nodded laughing at Danny's dig at Rachel and got out of the car.

"Ya know one of these days I'm going to need to meet this mother of yours. She sounds like a female version of you and that my friend I would pay to see." Danny pushed Steve laughing at the mock hurt that spread across his face. Danny fought hard to keep his heart under control at the thought of Steve meeting Danny's parents. It was moments like this when Danny couldn't help but wonder if Steve was trying to tell Danny something about their relationship.

Sure, Danny's parents had met pretty much all of Danny's friends at some point, but still it was different with Steve. Danny was hoping that when Steve met his parents, it wouldn't be as friends, but as his partner in every facet of the word. But Danny would have to wait for that to happen, because as this very moment he had no idea where Steve stood in terms of his feelings for Danny. He only hoped that Danny was making progress from that of best friends to love, or at least deep attraction. But Danny wasn't going to push his luck.

"Hey D, are you coming or are you going to stand there and look like a haole for the rest of the night?" Steve called from the doorway a smile spread across his face. Danny shook his head and took a deep breath, telling himself to keep it together before following Steve into the restaurant.

"You do realize that it's not polite or proper etiquette to insult the one that is going to pay for dinner, right?" Danny asked once they were seated and the hostess that given them their menus. Steve just shrugged, not lifting his gaze from the menu.

"You do realize that it's not polite or proper etiquette to leave your date waiting at the door, right?" Steve retorted yet again not bothering to look up from his menu, which was the perfect cover for Steve's smirk and subsequent quiet laughter that had his shoulders shaking slightly. He could just picture the indignation spread out on Danny's face and his mouth was probably open too. Yet again it was just too hard to resist poking fun at Danny.

"Are you trying to tell me that you secretly wish you were on a date with me, Steven?" Danny replied successfully covering up his shock at Steve's joke, he was not expecting Steve to even joke about this being a date. He was also a little bothered that Steve would think that Danny was incapable of planning an original date. Because Danny was already planning or at least thinking about things to do for their first date that didn't include dinner out at a restaurant, not that Steve knew any of this. Steve's head whipped up at Danny's joke and his mouth fell slightly open.

"I'm not the one that invited me to dinner Daniel." Steve fired back leaning forward on his forearms his open menu completely forgotten as he zeroed in on beating Danno in their battle of wit. Danny smiled and shook his head muttering under his breath.

"I'm not the one that first broached the topic of this being a date. Plus I'm offended that you think that if I were, in some alternate universe, to ask you out on a date that I would do something as clichéd as take you out to dinner. I thought you knew me better Steven, I would at least make you dinner and plan a romantic evening for two." Danny fired back smiling in relief when he saw their waiter approaching the table, a bright smile spread across his handsome face.

Steve was glad that the waiter had chosen to interrupt when he did, otherwise Steve would've had Danny in full loud ranting mode within a few minutes and it would most definitely cause a scene. Except Steve hadn't looked at his menu and had no idea what he wanted to order. Scrambling he looked down and tried to speed read the menu, but didn't get far when he heard Danny's voice directed at him.

"The goof over there will have the lasagna as well, salad with thousand island dressing on the side." Danny ordered for Steve smiling cheekily at him and barely covering his laughter. Their waiter looked at him expectantly and Steve just nodded. He should have known that Danny would know what Steve would like here; they were after all best friends as Danny had put it the other day. "You're welcome babe." Danny joked hiding his flirtatious smile behind his glass. Steve sat silent for a few moments and shook his head.

They chatted about various topics while enjoying their salads and breadsticks. It wasn't until their lasagna came that Steve finally noticed it. Danny was flirting with the waiter; it was obvious by his smile and laughter that Danny was most definitely flirting with their waiter. As Steve came to this conclusion the feelings that he had felt upon learning that Kono was teaching Danny how to surf, came back full force. Suddenly he felt a slight urge to almost stake claim on Danny, let the kid know that this blond was most definitely taken.

'Wait! Where the hell did that come from?' Steve thought as he took a rather large sip of his beer. There was no way that he was feeling jealous over Danny's flirting with the waiter. After a few minutes of intense thought he chalked it up to the waiter reminding him a little too much of Rachel and his intense need to make sure that there isn't a repeat of anything resembling Rachel.

This was not a date but two friends enjoying a meal together after a case, that's it, nothing more nothing less. Best friends have dinner all the time without it being a date. There was no way that Steve had any feelings of the romantic type towards Danny.

_**A/N 2: And thus the tension and drama begins. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Yeah you guys know what's up, I still own nothing. If did man that would be amazing and I'd totally be Mrs. Scott Caan**

_**Author's note: you guys seriously are amazing, I love it when I get reviews hearing how much you guys love this story, it always makes me smile. I can't thank you enough for loving this story so much.**_

It has been a month since Danny began surfing and according to Kono, he was progressing quite nicely. He had even gone surfing with Steve, one Saturday morning after they had wrapped up a pretty tough case. It had been a test of his control to be that close to a nearly naked Steve and not make a move or even flirt with him, but he had made it through the morning with only a slightly sore tongue from having to bite a few times to keep his mouth shut. But he had made it and that morning had given Danny slight hope that maybe just maybe Steve was beginning to see what Danny had noticed a month ago.

Now that Danny has somewhat mastered the art of surfing (at least for a beginner) it was time to move on to the next step, which was for Danny to tone down his ranting and bitching about almost everything that Steven does and the island of Oahu itself. He hasn't been looking forward to this since Kono had suggested it.

_Flashback_

Danny walked out of the water; carrying his board tightly tucked under his arm and fell into the sand, reaching for his bottle of water as he fell. Kono sat down next to him, after making sure that both their boards were firmly in the sand and wouldn't fall over and hit them. "You're doing really good Danny." Danny smiled and ducked his head remembering when Steve had praised him for his knack for the sport.

"I'm okay, not nearly as good as you or Steve, but I'm trying." Kono nodded and took a drink from her water.

"I was thinking." Kono started her gaze locked on the waves, unsure of how Danny was going to take her next suggestion. "I was thinking that maybe you should tone down your 'ranting' with Steve. It might help to show him that you're making an effort to be an islander. I think that sometimes when you're ranting and raving about everything he does, that it comes off as if you don't like Steve. I'm not saying that you don't have to rant at him, like when he blatantly breaks procedure or such. But like stop hating on the island as much and the things he likes." She glanced nervously over at Danny hoping that he wasn't about to flip out on her.

Danny sighed leaning forward to rest his head in his hands. He knew that Kono was probably right, there was no way that Steve would want to be with Danny when he's always hating on not only Steve and his behaviors but the island that Steve happens to love so much. It wasn't going to be easy, but if it helped to 'Woo Steve' then Danny was just going to have suck it up and do it right? Plus it probably wasn't great for his health to always be so negative and angry all the time, so really it was a win-win situation.

"Yeah you're probably right. It's gonna be hard, especially because Steve likes to push my buttons and get me ranting. I swear it's his new favorite past time. But yeah I agree it's time to tone it down." Kono nodded, smiling a little sadly, and moved over so she could wrap her arm around Danny's shoulder.

"I'm not saying stop completely, that would seem too suspicious, but yeah tone it down a little bit. It's gonna all work out Danny I swear." Danny nodded again giving her a small smile and knocking into her shoulder.

"Alright let's head back to your house and I'll whip up some pancakes and bacon." Kono smiled brightly and shot up out of the sand. She may be a healthy girl, who happened to watch what she ate, but even she couldn't turn down an offer for Danny's amazing pancakes after their killer surfing workout that morning.

_End of Flashback_

The idea of toning down Danny's instinct to rant loudly at Steve, seemed easy enough when Kono suggested it, but when it actually came time to see if Danny was actually listening that's when it became almost impossible.

It was Steve's fault really. He had somehow managed to not only engage in a very high speed pursuit up a mountain, but also a gun fight as well at the same time. Of course, Steve had been trying to drive and fire on their suspects at the same time, until Danny had had enough close calls with the cliff. So Danny became the target for their bullets, leaning dangerously through the window while Steve swerved in and out of oncoming traffic to keep up. Danny didn't have the opportunity to say anything during said chase, because ya know he was busy trying to stay in the car and aim straight as to only hit the car firing back at him and not the other innocent people. Once they cuffed their suspects and Steve and Danny were heading back to the palace, that's when the real test began.

"In the future, please warn me when I'm going to have to practice my gangster drive-by skills while going up a mountain okay?" Danny asked, his voice even keeled devoid of any of its usual flair and dramatics. Steve looked over at him worriedly, but didn't give it much thought since they were mid case and Steve didn't have time to analyze what was wrong with Danny at the moment.

Steve did notice though that he didn't hear Danny's complaint about pineapples when Kono ordered them pizza and had forgotten to order a non-pineappled pizza for Danny. Kono shot an apologetic look at Danny, having been too tired from working for almost two days straight to even think clearly. Danny just shrugged and shot her a small smile, completely understanding that it wasn't her fault. Steve watched the entire exchanged and suddenly felt immensely worried that something was seriously wrong with his partner. He was excepting a full fledged very loud rant since Danny was exhausted from running around all day, but all Danny did was mutter about horrible fruits that should be outlawed and simply ordered his own pizza. Steve thought about it for a few moments, longer than someone who didn't have feelings for their partners would, and chalked it up Danny's being too tired to waste his energy on pineapples. Not that Steve wasn't thankful to not hear the pineapple tirade again.

Danny fell back against his pull out sofa and sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. This case was slowly trying to drive him completely insane. He was trying to be calmer and go with the flow better, but that was not easy to do when Steve seem to be going out of his way to make Danny riled up enough to rant. He was pretty sure that the inside of his cheek was raw from his constant biting of it. His blood pressure was probably much higher because of the stress of having to keep his mouth shut. So Danny picked up his pillow and pressed it closely to his mouth, muffling the long scream. He seemed to sit there for quite some time just screaming into his pillow, but once the scream tapered off to a whine Danny felt his shoulders relax and the tension ease from his body.

The next day Danny is convinced that someone is messing with him. He had woken up covered in sweat and sticking to his flimsy sheets. He knew the moment he opened his eyes that today was going to be horrible because he could feel the humidity before he fully opened his eyes. Danny and humidity did not fare well together; they went together like oil and water. It wasn't because of anything vain like Danny's hair being wrecked, but he was much shorter tempered the hotter it got. Which meant that he would most likely spend the day cursing this horrible island and dreaming of winter in Jersey to stay cool, but Danny couldn't do that, he was trying to be happier about his life. He was going to spend another day biting his tongue and trying to keep himself in check before he completely exploded on ranted for days.

Kono met him at the office with iced coffee and a smile. "If it gets too bad, come find me and we'll go somewhere so you can rant to your heart's content." Danny smiled in thanks and took a long sip of his coffee letting the cool caffeine course down his throat.

"Thanks Kono." Danny replied tipping his cup towards her and heading into his office, thankful to be in air conditioning that actually worked properly. If Danny could stay inside his office all day, he would be golden.

That peaceful thought lasted almost three hours before they got called about a case. Danny cursed to himself as he headed out with Steve, bracing himself for the heat and humidity. Today was not going to be Danny's day.

Steve glanced over at Danny as they were walking back from the scene taking in the deep scowl on his face and sweat that covered every inch of exposed skin. He knew that Danny was not happy today; Danny was never a great person to be around when it got swelteringly hot. As Steve got in the car, he cracked the AC and hoped that he would be spared the 'I hate everything about Oahu speech' that he knew would be coming. Instead Danny just grabbed an ice cold bottle of water from the cooler that had made its way into the backseat of the Camaro and drank half the bottle in one sip.

"You okay Danno?" Steve asked as he turned heading back to the air conditioning safety of their building.

"Yeah." Danny shortly replied his eyes locked on the passing scenery.

"Hot today." Steve commented off handedly almost trying to draw out the inevitable rant. He would much rather get it over with now instead of later.

"Yes it is, that's Oahu for you right?" Danny joked smiling softly at his lame attempt at a joke. Steve looked at Danny wondering what the hell was going on with his partner. For days now he's been a lot quieter than he's ever been and it's starting to really worry Steve. Something seriously wrong is going on with his partner and Steve is determined to get to the bottom of it.

_**A/N 2: Okay don't hate me, I know it seems extremely odd that Danny would change himself so drastically just for Steve, but it's all apart of the bigger picture, so please just go with it and remind yourself that it's all going to work out in the end. Having said that, please don't hesitate to let me know how much you hate me for changing my precious Danno or whatever else you feel like telling me. ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews so far, they literally make me smile and I love hearing what you guys have to say. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter!**_

Something is going on with Danny. Steve can plainly see it the more time he spends with Danny. At first Steve thought nothing about the subtle ways that Danny was changing, like the surfing lessons. But Steve couldn't ignore Danny's lack of ranting, Danny always ranted. It was something that Steve could depend on happening throughout his day, and now not having it makes Steve seriously concerned. The scenarios running through Steve's head as to the causes of this behavior range from mild to worst case. It's slowly driving Steve insane, because the last thing Steve needs is an unfocused Danny.

As Danny's best friend, Steve thinks that it's his job to get to the bottom of what's plaguing him. Plus Steve wants to make sure that if push came to ultimate shove that Danny wouldn't be distracted. But ultimately Steve's worried that there's something so wrong that Danny feels he can't be himself, Steve likes Danny the way he is. He wouldn't be Danny if he didn't always hate on the island or bitch about something Steve did wrong.

Danny can tell that something's up with Steve. He catches him watching him out of the corner of his eye during the day a lot. At first it started out innocently enough with a few long glances, but now Danny finds Steve staring through the glass walls of their offices at Danny a lot. It makes Danny's heart beat just a tad bit faster when he catches Steve mid-stare. There's something in Steve's eyes that warms Danny to his core. He wouldn't go as far to say that its lust, but there's some sort of feeling there. It's a step in the right direction Danny thinks, as he watches Steve quickly turn away before Danny can catch him staring again.

Steve finally gets fed up with his guessing game of what's wrong with Danny as the end of the day rolls around. He really needs to get to the bottom of this. So standing up he makes the quick decision to invite Danny over for dinner. "Hey Danno." Steve calls stopping Danny on his way out of the office.

"What's up?" Danny asked turning around and waiting for Steve to come up beside him.

"There's a Yankees game on tonight, you want to order a pizza and watch it with me?" Danny pauses taking a deep breath to calm his suddenly jumping stomach and exhales slowly.

"Sure, sounds better than my original plans." Steve smiles and opens the door motioning for Danny to go ahead of him. Danny smirks and blushes lightly at how his stomach flutters, fucking flutters, at the simple gesture of Steve opening the door for him.

The entire way to Steve's Danny gives himself a pep talk. He has a feeling that tonight is going to be the night that something finally happens between him and Steve. It's been a weird week what with Danny not having such a strong urge to bitch and moan about anything Steve does and Steve's confusing stares. Danny just hopes that he doesn't make a complete fool out of himself when he finally, hopefully, gets the chance to ask Steve out for a proper date instead of their after case dinners and pizzas shared over games. By the time that Danny finally pulls up to Steve's, he's prepared for what he hopes is going to happen tonight.

But Danny's not even remotely prepared for what he's walking into.

Steve's already gotten the pizza and beer set up on the coffee table with the National Anthem playing on the TV. He smiles when Danny opens the door and motions his beer towards the space next to him. Danny smirks, muttering about Steve's lack of manners as he makes his way around the couch and sitting down next to him accepting the beer that Steve is offering him. They spend the next hour eating and watching the game in comfortable silence before Steve turns away from the TV.

"Hey Danno?" Steve asks his voice a little unsure.

"Yeah?" Danny turns away from the TV caught off guard by the complete seriousness splayed out on Steve's face. "What's wrong? Why do you have aneurysm face?"

"What? I do not have aneurysm face Danny." Steve immediately fires back familiar warmth spreading through this stomach at Danny's concern about his facial expressions.

"You most certainly do Steven. So what's wrong? What's got you so worked up?" Danny fires off completely turning his body so he's facing Steve.

"Are you okay?" Steve asks after taking a few moments to figure out what he exactly he was trying to ask.

"I'm fine. Is that seriously what's gotten you so worked up, you thought something was wrong?" Danny doesn't really believe that Steve would be so worked up over thinking that something was bothering him.

"Are you sure everything okay? I mean you can tell me if there's something wrong, you did say that you're my best friend so that kinda makes me yours. So talk to me Danno." Steve replies leaning his head against his fist, studying Danny to see if he can spot what's wrong.

"There's nothing wrong Steven. Why would you think there's something wrong?" Danny replies mirroring Steve's position. This was not how he saw tonight going and he feels his hopes for a positive outcome dwindling fast.

"I've just been noticing things that don't make sense. Did something happen with Rachel? Your brother? Your family?" Steve fires off not giving Danny any time to really comprehend what's going on. "You haven't gone off on one of your rants in almost two weeks Danny and I'm pretty sure I've done at least five things that would warrant a proper police procedures rant this week alone!" Steve suddenly exclaims standing up from the couch. "You didn't bitch when Kono accidently ordered pineapple on our pizzas. You hate pineapple! And you love letting people know how much you hate pineapple." Danny tilts his head majorly confused as to where Steve's going with this and watches as Steve begins to pace the length of the couch in front of him. "And you're surfing. I can't count on all my fingers and toes all the times you've bitched about the sand and water and messing with your hair. I mean seriously what happened to you Danny? Who the fuck are you? Because honestly I have no idea what's going on underneath your heavy gelled hair." Danny feels like he's been punched in the gut. His heart feels tight and he's sure it's just dropped to the floor.

"What are you trying to say Steve?" Danny whispers feeling like his heart pounding in his throat. Steve stops mid pace, standing directly in front of Danny his face a mask of a bunch of different emotions.

"There's something wrong with you, I can tell. I know you well enough to see that something's on your mind. You've been distracted and weird for the past month almost and I'm worried. I'm worried that you're going to be thinking about something while we're out in the field chasing down a suspect and you get hit by a car or even shot! Talk to me Danny, I can help. I need you clear headed so that I don't have to worry that you don't have my back." Danny's mouth falls open as the realization hits him.

"Wait, so you're only worried about me because you think that I wouldn't have your back? Are you really afraid that I wouldn't be there to back your dumbass up? Is that really what you're saying to me right now?" Danny yells quickly standing up and staring at Steve in absolute shock.

"No! I mean yeah that's part of what I'm saying, but no I'm worried about you first. Talk to me Danny. I can't fix it, if you won't talk to me." Steve pleads seeing that this is going south quickly and he needs to salvage what he can before it gets completely out of hand.

"Save it McGarrett, I don't want to bother you. Trust me; you don't need to worry about me anymore. I know exactly what's up now." Danny calmly replied turning away from Steve and walking quickly from the house, needing to be as far away from Steve as possible.

As he got into the Camaro and sped off, he couldn't help but feel his heart breaking into a million pieces. What had started out as a potentially life changing night in a positive way had gone in a negative direction that Danny wasn't sure they could ever come back from.

_**A/N 2: I know you guys probably hate me so much right now. But I promise it has to get worse before it gets better. I hope you guys liked this chapter and let me know what you think. ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Yeah you guys know the deal, I own nothing except Season 1 of Five-0.**

_**Author's Note: You guys truly are amazing, I love reading each and every one of your reviews. It makes me insanely happy to see how much you like this story.**_

The next morning Danny hoped that last night had been a horrible nightmare, but he was quickly reminded that last night had really happened. He felt his heart constricting all over again and heard Steve's words playing over in his mind like it was a song stuck on repeat. Sighing he sat up and took a minute to get his bearings. He really didn't want to go into work today; the last thing he wanted was to face Steve so soon. But Danny couldn't and wouldn't hide in his shitty apartment just because Steve had rejected.

It had taken Danny mere seconds after driving away from Steve's to realize why Steve's words had hurt so much. The only way Danny could take Steve's sudden interrogation about his behavior lately was that Steve was weirded out by whole thing, thus there was no way that Danny could finally make a move and actually ask Steve out on a date. So in a sense Steve had rejected Danny's subtle advances and told Danny that they were only meant to best friends.

That was a hard pill to swallow, unless chased with copious amounts of alcohol, which Danny stopped for on his way home. He knew sleep wouldn't come easily last night without the help of good booze, so Danny proceeded to drown his sorrows in a bottle of Jack Daniels.

This morning the pounding in his head came nowhere near close enough to the ache that has settled in his chest. He should have known that this was going to blow up in his face. What was he thinking trying to woo someone as straight as Steve? Even with a failed marriage hanging over his head, Danny's still a bit of a hopeless romantic that believes that love can overcome anything. Danny thought for sure that Steve felt something for Danny, but he was wrong. It also wasn't the first time that Danny's been wrong about this type of thing, but it hurts a hell of a lot more being wrong about Steve.

Danny really doesn't want to go to work. Especially since they aren't working on active case, so that means that Danny's stuck in his office (right across from Steve's no less), so he has no choice but to face Steve. Sighing again Danny swings his legs over the edge of the bed and slowly, ever so slowly takes his pounding head and broken heart into the shower.

When Steve gets to the office that morning he's hoping to catch Danny before Kono and Chin come in. He wants to explain about what happened last night since Danny had taken Steve's concern the wrong way. Sure Steve's foot in his mouth didn't help, but he needed to make sure that Danny knew that Steve was only concerned about his friend; he didn't want Danny to get hurt. He wanted Danny to be happy and rant-y. Steve sighs when he sees Danny's office completely dark and Chin already sitting in his office. Now all he can hope for is that he can catch Danny at the end of the day and hopefully they can redo the night before so Steve can fix the horrible mess he's gotten into.

Danny finally makes it into the office almost an hour late. Anyone can tell by the tense line of his shoulders and dimmed blue eyes covered by sunglasses, that Danny obviously doesn't care that he's late. He walks into the office without saying hello to any of them, since their all standing around the smart table talking about something that Danny can't find in himself to care about and straight into his office. He doesn't even bother to flip on the lights as he falls into his chair and puts his head on his desk.

Steve watches Danny walk right past him and can't help but feel his heart constrict. He really didn't like seeing Danny so down, especially when it was his fault that Danny was like that.

Kono looked between Steve and Danny's office worried that something wasn't right. She could tell from Danny's silence and ignorance of all of them that something had happened. Pushing away from the table she held up her hand to stop Steve from going into Danny's office and quietly entered.

"Danny?" Kono softly called, having a feeling that Danny might be dealing with a monstrous headache this morning. Danny doesn't lift his head but groans in reply, waiting for the pounding in his head to go away. He really doesn't want to talk to anybody, he just wants to sit here in the dark and feel miserable. "What's wrong?" Kono asks cautiously making her way around the desk and crouching down next to Danny's chair.

"Nothing Kono, I'm fine." He replies groaning instantly at the pain of his own low voice. Kono stands quickly rushing from Danny's office and across the way towards her own. When she returns she's got a cup of strong coffee and two aspirins.

"Here Danny, take these you'll feel better in minutes I swear." Danny reaches blindly out and grabs the two pills tossing them into his mouth before taking a large gulp of the hot coffee before putting his head back down on the desk. "I'm sorry you feel like crap, but I'm here if you want to talk." Danny nods and murmurs thanks before closing his eyes and waiting for relief to come to his head.

Danny stays holed up his office most of the morning, even after his headache has dissipated. He doesn't want to deal with the concerned looks from Chin and Kono or any look from Steve. He really just wants to go home and curl up in his shitty bed, he would feel a ton better if his sweet daughter could be there, but Rachel wouldn't let that happen. So Danny was stuck suffering alone in his office. With his blinds closed, he felt closed off from the world just the way he wanted it. It was the only way that Danny was actually able to keep it together.

Of course, just as Danny was finally getting a handle on himself they got called on a case which meant that he was going to have to be stuck in a car with Steve, who wouldn't hesitate asking questions and try to dig himself out of the hole he dug last night, thus torturing Danny even more. Kono had spent most of the morning thinking about what could possibly make Danny so sad and depressed when it finally dawned on her. Danny's sullen mood probably had something to do with Steve and she immediately felt bad for him. Danny finally emerged from his office and quickly locks eyes with Kono trying to tell her what he was thinking.

"Danny and I will head to the hospital and interview the husband." Kono states smiling softly at the relief that washed over Danny's face. Danny quietly made his way towards her and letting her grab his hand and pull him quickly from the office before Steve could open up his mouth and put Danny back into his sullen place.

"Thanks Kono." Danny finally said, speaking for the first time all morning beside whispers and murmurs. Kono reached over and patted his hand.

"It's nothing Danny. I told you, we're ohana and I always look out for my ohana." Danny smiled and squeezed Kono's hand. As long as Danny had Kono to run interference between him and Steve for the time being then Danny didn't think that it would be too hard to finally accept what happened last night and move on with his life.

Steve watched Kono and Danny drive off and sighed. He had really hoped that he could get some alone with Danny so he could at least apologize for being such a selfish asshole last night. But as he climbed into his truck with Chin, he knew that he had royally fucked up this time and there was no one to blame but himself.

_**A/N 2: Well, like the title says, Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, so of course the drama and tension can't be fixed so quickly. But have no fear; there will be some sort of resolution or mild relief from this drama the boys have found themselves in soon. So like always let me know what you think ~thatredheadgirl~.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line, that's all.**

_**Author's Note: You guys are the best with your reviews! I'm posting this chapter a little early because I'll be super busy tomorrow, plus your reviews have been so amazing I couldn't wait for you guys to read this chapter that I had to post it tonight.**_

To say that things around the Five-0 offices have been awkward would be an understatement. Ever since the fateful night that Steve put his foot in his mouth and Danny's possible overreaction the usually cohesive tighter than family members of the team are now barely hanging on. And Danny can't help but feel as if the whole thing is his fault.

The guilt hit him one afternoon while he was sitting in his office typing up his report from their latest case. It had been two weeks of Danny and Steve not uttering one word to each other and no longer even riding in the same car. Usually when they were out in the field, Danny was usually next to Steve with Chin and Kono on either side of them, but now the cousins found themselves being flanked by equally sullen and quiet former partners. Danny knows that his silent treatment with Steve is hurting the team. He can see it on all their faces, even if they won't come out and say it to his face. He wishes that he could go back to that fateful afternoon when he realized his romantic feelings for Steve and ignore the feelings building in his heart. If only he had talked his stupid hopelessly romantic self out of giving into his crazy feelings, they wouldn't be in this whole mess. Sighing Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and knew that there was only one way to fix the mess he's found himself in.

Steve, across the hall, was suffering from similar thoughts as his blond counterpart, or former counterpart he should say now. He felt that this whole mess was his fault, because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. He just had to put his foot in his mouth and make Danny think that his concern over his change in behavior was because Steve didn't trust Danny to have his back. If only Steve hadn't been so caught up in his very own Danny rant, he could've stopped before he dug his hole even deeper. Thinking about it now, a full two weeks later, Steve wishes he could go back and redo the whole thing. He had gone about it in the completely wrong way and now he had lost probably the closest friendship he has ever had in his life. There really was only one way to fix this and Steve just hopes that it's not too late to fix this.

The fight that fateful night had ruined everything between Steve and Danny. They used to spend almost every night together, especially when they weren't working a case. It wasn't uncommon to find the two sitting on Steve's couch watching some sports game, most likely one of the teams was from New York. Danny had become Steve's adventure buddy along the way too. Steve had begun to change Danny's views on hiking in paradise and had even gotten Danny to go surfing with him. It was refreshing for Steve to have someone to do things with, someone that wasn't going to ask questions he didn't want to answer. Danny didn't ask Steve's questions instead preferring to wait until Steve brought something up. But now Steve is back to spending his off time alone and it's beginning to wear on Steve.

It's hard ignoring someone that you spend so much time with. Danny finds himself alone quite often in his shitty apartment just staring at the walls. It's sad really, how much he relied on Steve to keep him from the four walls of his apartment. But yet Danny can't bring himself to even think about talking to Steve. Thinking about talking to Steve and spending time with him, makes Danny's heart constrict and anger course through his veins. He can still hear Steve's harsh words, still feel them cutting through him to his core. What was said can't really be forgotten or erased. It makes Danny incredibly furious in a sense. He really wants to punch Steve squarely in that gorgeous face (much like he had their first day together) for even thinking that Danny wouldn't have his back. Danny has always been able to turn his mind off when they were working cases. He actually looked forward to cases because it gave him the chance to stop thinking about his feelings and his sexual identity crisis and allowed him a break from the almost obsessive way in which his mind began to work. But of course, the stupid SEAL didn't know that. He didn't think that Danny was capable of compartmentalizing his thoughts. Sighing Danny's head fell back against his sofa bed and he tried closing his eyes thinking that sleep was the only thing to do.

Kono is worried. Every day for the past two weeks she's watched Danny and Steve walk around their office ignoring each other. Sure there were some side glances as they passed, that made her think they wanted to say something or at least acknowledge the other, but then they would continue on ignoring the other. It was maddening to have to watch them essentially self-destruct in front of her very eyes, each for entirely different reasons. She still had no idea what happened since Danny and Steve were remaining tight lipped about what had happened. She had wanted to press the issue, nag Danny until he told her, but the look on his face always stopped her dead in her tracks. He looked absolutely heartbroken that Kono didn't want to reopen the wounds, deciding to begrudgingly wait for Danny to come to her. She thought for sure he would have by now. But of course, she forgets that Danny is the most stubborn man she's ever met, and that's including Steve, who made her want to pull her hair out on a good day with his stubbornness.

"Hey cuz." Chin greeted pushing his way into her office breaking Kono's inner monologue. "I'm worried." He started throwing a glance over his shoulder towards where Steve and Danny were holed up in their offices.

"Did Steve say anything to you?" Kono asked her eyes still glued on Danny's office.

"No. He either brushes me off or just ignores the question all together. I know it's bad though, because this is the longest they've ever gone without talking."

"It's frustrating that there's nothing we can do." Kono whined finally making eye contact with Chin, who smiled softly and nodded.

"Yeah I know, I thought for sure Steve would have done something by now. He must feel really bad about it if he's letting this go on. I just wish that one of them would say something, maybe then we could help fix the situation." Chin nodded, glancing over at Danny's office.

"I don't know how much longer we can go on like this. I mean they're not talking and it's going to start affect our cases. I'm getting tired of always feeling like I have to pick between parents when it comes to doing things. I'm afraid that I'm going to hurt one if I pick the other." Chin nodded again and reached out patting her hand.

"Well then we better get one of them to crack. Otherwise Five-0 might not survive this." Kono ducked her head knowing that Chin was right. Since Danny and Steve weren't going to solve this, they were just going to have to step in and get to the bottom of it. So Kono decided an ambush was in order.

That night Danny fell back on his sofa and sighed in relief. His body ached from being so tense all day and from being stuck behind his desk for most of the day. Taking a pull from his beer, Danny closed his eyes and hoped for the broken record of Steve's voice to stop playing. He's been reliving that night over and over in his head every night since then and it's slowly driving Danny insane.

Just as Danny's begin to relax a little bit, a hard knocking on his door makes him tense in slight fear. He can only think of three people that would show up right now, and he really hopes that it's not Steve standing on the other side of the door. But part of him has to wonder why Steve hasn't shown up to talk to him, it doesn't help that with each day that Steve doesn't show up to fix this Danny's resolve in his decision only gets stronger.

Finally making his way towards the door, Danny pauses with his hand on the handle taking a few quick deep breaths to calm himself and pulls the door open. "Kono?" Danny asks finally looking up and locking eyes with her. She smiles softly and holds up the six pack and pizza in her hands before pushing her way into his small apartment. "Sure, come on in." Danny sarcastically replies motioning behind her back.

"I'm done waiting Danny. I've given you two weeks to come to me and since you've been too stubborn to remember I'm in this with you, I'm taking drastic measures. Plus I brought pizza and beer, so really you can't say no." Danny went to open his mouth but stopped when he felt the rumble of his stomach.

"Alright fine. You'd probably use your round house kick on me if I said no."

"Damn right." Kono replied making herself at home on Danny's sofa and popping open two of the beers for them. "Now talk." Kono demands not even waiting for Danny to sit down. Danny sighs settling himself into the uncomfortable couch sighing again loudly and dramatically.

"It's done." He simply states stealing a piece of pizza before Kono can knock his hand away. If they're going to talk about it, Danny needs to put food in his stomach to soak up the alcohol he's going to consume.

"What happened?" Kono asked knowing that Danny was most likely referring to their plan to woo Steve and hopefully not his job.

"He confronted me about my strange change in behavior then went into a full rant, like one that yours truly would have done, and started saying hurtful things. He basically said that he was concerned that I wouldn't be focused on the job and that he didn't feel safe pretty much around me. It hurt a hell of a lot, but also made me realize that this whole thing was a stupid idea. I should've known that there was no chance in hell that he would feel the same way, I mean come on, and he's straight and totally into Catherine. Who, if you haven't noticed, I share nothing with, we're polar opposites."

"Danny, you know Steve. He has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth. You should really talk to him and give him a chance to explain. As for Steve's feelings, you need to be honest with him and tell him everything. That's the only way that you guys are going to move past this." Danny scoffed and stood up from the couch.

"That's the thing Kono. I'm not sure that I can move past the things he said. You weren't there; you didn't see his face or hear exactly what he was saying. I can't just ignore the way his words hurt or the way he looked when he said them. Sure, I can understand him not having feelings for me and I can get over that. But the other stuff? I can't move past that." Danny replied finally letting some of his anger at Steve come out.

"What about Five-0? We can't keep going on like this. Sure, it's not really affecting our work since Chin and I are playing interference, but really how much longer can things keep going like they are? It's bound to start affecting our work soon enough. What are you going to do then? You can't keep ignoring your boss Danny." Kono replied frustrated at how things were going. She just wanted to know what to do to fix this. She can see where Danny's coming from and understands why he can't get over what Steve said. It would hurt her just as much if someone she cared so deeply for said those things, but there has to be something she can do.

"I know that Kono, that's why I know what I have to do." Danny replied bracing himself for the way in which she's going to react to his news.

"So you're going to talk to Steve then?" Kono replied the hope seeping out in her voice a hopeful smile spread across her face.

"I'm transferring back to HPD." Danny replied making Kono's jaw drop and her eyes go wide.

_**A/N 2: Cliff-hanger time! Oh I can't wait to see how you guys react to that little nugget right there. ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Yeah still don't own anything; everything Five-0 related belongs to CBS and the creators of the show.**

_**Author's Note: I love all the reviews I got for last chapter and I think that you guys are going to be surprised with how this all plays out, so just remember this is all building towards the bigger picture.**_

Steve is miserable; he has too much free time on his hands. He's really at a loss of what to do when he's not at work. He's even begun spending more time at the office because at least there, Steve has things to help keep his mind busy. At home he's surrounded by Danny; if he tries really hard he can faintly smell Danny in his house, even though the blonde hasn't been there in almost two weeks.

Its torture being surrounded by memories of a friendship twenty four seven, and knowing that it's mostly your fault that the friendship is no more. Steve keeps wishing and hoping that he'll wake up from this horrible Groundhog Day type nightmare. He keeps living the same day over and over again, watching himself ruin a perfectly good friendship over and over.

There's also a twinge of something besides friendship when Steve replays the look on Danny's face when what Steve was saying clicked. If he was being completely honest, he would say that Steve watched Danny's heart break that night. The look on Danny's face that night and the next morning made Steve's heart twinge in pain and gasp slightly for breath. It wasn't a look he ever thought he would see on his friend's face, especially since it seemed to be directed at him. Can you really break your best friend's heart? Or was Steve just being oblivious as to what is really going on with Danny and him?

Sighing he fell back on his sofa staring at the blank TV. He hasn't watched anything but the evening news, because it doesn't feel right watching games or even some TV shows without Danny. If only Steve could get his mind to shut the hell up and stop replaying the same night over and over again Steve could finally get some peace. He wanted so badly to fix their friendship, but he knows that he royally fucked up and that everything he would normally do to apologize isn't going to cut it. Sitting there for what feels like hours in complete silence Steve is lost in his thoughts when a rushed knocking on his door startled him. For a fleeting moment he wonders if Danny's finally realized how stupid Steve was and came to yell at him and hopefully end the awkwardness and silence that has taken over the Five-0 office. But he knew, even angry Danny probably wouldn't knock choosing to just let himself in. His heart sank when he sees a very pissed off Kono standing in front of him. When she notices the door is open she pushed past him and into the house.

"Um Kono?" Steve asked turning from the open doorway and watching Kono pace in his living room.

"We need to talk." She blurted motioning for Steve to take a seat. She's still angry but Steve can see the slight nervousness to her body language.

"What's wrong?" Steve immediately goes to the worst case scenario as he asked the question.

"It's about Danny." She supplied motioning again for Steve to take a seat on the couch in front of her. She knows that Danny's going to kill her when he finds out, but really after the bombshell that Danny dropped on her she needs to take drastic measures. Plus if this goes the way she's hoping that it goes, than she doesn't think he'll remain mad at her for too long. Eh, she'll worry about that bridge when she gets to it; right now she needs to fix the mess she helped create.

"What about him?" Steve tried to remain calm as he finally sits down in front of her. He's still slightly freaking out that something's wrong with his partner and the look on Kono's face and her pacing are not helping Steve's anxiety and fears. "Kono, what about Danny?" Steve asked more sternly slightly startling his young teammate and making her run a hand through her smooth hair.

"I should probably start from the beginning. And please, don't interrupt. I'm risking a lot by being here and going behind Danny's back like this. But really, after what I just found out you need to know everything that has brought us to this point." Kono started begging with her eyes for Steve to just listen and give her the opportunity to explain.

"Kono what are you talking about?" Steve is confused as to what Kono's going on about. Kono glared at him making him sigh and lean back. He waved his hand motioning for her to go on and waits for her to start talking.

"Danny came to me one day and asked for my help. He said that he had realized how he felt about you and that he wanted help to sort of woo you. So we hatched a plan of sorts. I began giving him surf lessons, which he's really good at ya know? Once he stopped bitching about the ocean and the sand and pretty much everything related to surfing, he's really good." She paused and Steve nodded, having witnessed just how good Danny was at surfing first hand. "But that was just the beginning. I thought that maybe if Danny stopped bitching about Hawaii and you so much, that maybe you would see how Danny was trying to not stick out as much. I didn't think that he would take it the extreme he did, but I thought it would help. But it seems that my bright idea has just made things even worse." Taking a deep breath she risked a glance at Steve who was staring at her as if she had grown a third head. She continued pacing in silence trying to figure out how to explain the next part. "I didn't think that you were going to interrogate him and basically say you didn't trust him anymore. I thought it would make you realize that you like Danny's ranting and raving. You like pushing his buttons and making him so angry he has to rant for hours just to release some of his anger. I thought for sure that you would finally realize that you have feelings for Danny too."

"Kono, I have feelings for Danny as a friend, that's it." Kono stopped completely turning to face him with the deadliest glare on her face. She was no longer nervous about this but just angry at the way that Steve immediately defends against what others can so plainly see. If there was ever a time that Kono wanted to shake some sense into her boss, it was definitely right now.

"Bullshit McGarrett. Anyone can see that his feelings are mutual. You may not realize it, but your actions speak way louder than the shit coming out of your mouth right now. Did you really think that those marriage jokes don't have any merit? Get a clue Steve. You need to think long and hard about it before you make any rash decisions, because brah you need to realize that denial ain't just a river in Egypt." Steve sighed and ran a now shaky hand through his hair. Steve sighed and got up from the sofa making his way around the room.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Steve asked pausing behind the sofa wondering why now instead of a month ago when it first started. Had Danny just been upfront with him from the beginning they wouldn't be in this situation right now, they could've talked it like adults and came to a decision that benefitted everybody.

"Danny's planning on transferring to HPD. He's got a meeting with the governor in the morning to discuss it. He's serious Steve, so now's the time to fix this." Steve sighed and leaned over the back of the sofa putting his head in his hands.

"What do you want me to do Kono? I leave for drills in the morning and I can't miss the flight out. So tell me how am I supposed to fix this?" Kono stood there silently trying to figure out what they could do. Steve watched her hoping she would have a solution, but he wasn't expecting the nasty glare that she was directing at him.

"Of course, the drills/time with Catherine that you were talking about after the ball, how could I have forgotten?" She sneered shaking her head and barking out a laugh. "It's okay Steve. I'll make sure that our task force stays together while you go play G.I. Joe with Army Barbie. Have fun though, can't wait to not hear about it when you get back!" Kono called over her shoulder as she stormed from the house.

Once the door had slammed loudly behind her, Steve stood up and kicked the couch. "Damnit!" He cursed stalking up the stairs to make sure his bag was packed and ready to go. He just hoped that everybody used his time away to cool off and that when he got back, they could talk it out calmly and like adults, he really hoped.

_**A/N 2: So be honest you weren't expecting that ending were you? But have no fear it's about to get insanely interesting in the next couple of chapters. So like always, let me know what you thought and have a Happy Friday ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Yeah yeah you guys know the drill, I own nothing.**

_**Author's Note: I love the reviews for the last chapter; you guys seriously are amazing with your reactions to this story. It gets hard replying to your reviews since I'm much further ahead in the story than what's posted and I don't want to give anything away, but I want to thank everybody for reading and reviewing this story.**_

_Danny's in love with me. Danny loves me. Holy shit Danny's in love with me. How the hell did that happen? When the hell did that happen? What made him realize his feelings? I mean sure, there's some sexual chemistry between us, but that's normal right? We're both two good looking guys, so it's only natural that we would appreciate the other's looks, right? But I'm not gay, because if I was I would've appreciated all the guys I was in the SEALs with. No this just has to be Danny. It's because we're close that we can banter like that._

_ And those jokes about us being married don't mean anything. Those people are jealous or hate us because it's usually the people we're interrogating or arresting that make those jokes. Danny and I are just close enough to be able to banter like that. Who cares if he happens to fill out his dress pants in all the right ways? _

"Get real Steve, his feelings are mutual."_ Of course, I'd hear Kono's voice right now. Everything she had said wasn't a complete lie. Alright I may or may not have some type of feelings for my partner. But that was all purely Danny. There was something just so intoxicating and attractive about him that sometimes gets my blood to run a little hotter than usual. So it's more physical attraction than anything else, I'm not in love with the guy. I can't be in love with Danny. There was too much risk involved for us to ever go anywhere with our relationship. Sure at first things would be fine, but if Danny ever got tired of me it would end Five-0 as we know it. So just because I have feelings for Danny means nothing. _

_ I won't risk losing the best thing I have just because I happen to find my partner attractive. No my team comes first. So as much as it's going to hurt Danny, we both need to get over our feelings for each other for the good of Five-0._

"Who are you kidding Steve? You really need to stop lying about your feelings. You're in love with the guy. It's written all over your face and so easy for everyone else to see. You go out of your way to protect him; you always try to make him smile after he's dealt with Rachel. Hell you even called the governor so she couldn't take Grace away from him. You do so much for the man that you can't say you don't love him. So really Steve be honest, you are in love with Danny."_ I'm going crazy; I swear that sounds exactly like Kono's voice in my head. _

_ Yeah, I guess I have to admit that I might just be in love with him._

By the time Steve had landed on the ship, he was mentally and emotionally exhausted. Having spent the entire flight looking at his feelings and relationship with his partner, he had come to a startling realization. Danny's feelings weren't as one-sided as most would think. Steve would admit in the confines of his own mind that yeah he cared about the guy and found him incredibly attractive and might even love the guy. But he wasn't going to act on it. He was just going to push his feelings to the back of his head and go on living his life and his relationship, he uses the word lightly, with Catherine, even if it wouldn't work if they were both stateside.

Speaking of his semi-girlfriend, when Steve spotted Catherine he couldn't help but subconsciously compare her to his partner. They were polar opposites upon first glance, brunette and blonde, tall and short, female and male…the list goes on and on. Catherine's attractive and fun to spend time with, but when it comes to a real relationship Catherine and he wouldn't work. _Not like you and Danny._ He immediately shook his head. He wasn't going to think about Danny like that. He was going to focus on getting his drills done and make up for ruining Catherine's Valentine's Day.

"Hey." She greeted smiling slyly at him since they weren't allowed to show any affection on the ship. Steve smiled in return and counted down until they were docked so that they could be reacquainted in the proper way. Until that time, they would just have to have 'eye-sex' as Danny was always calling it.

Danny walked into the office and paused. It seemed much quieter than usual. Upon further glance he found himself alone in the big office. Usually by the time that Danny's rolled into the office everyone's there either in their offices or hanging out around the smart table. It was kind of weird being alone in the office, yet Danny could deal with it. Just as Danny was almost basking in the silence that hung over the office, Kono walked in and stopped staring at Danny.

"Hey Danny." Kono cautiously greeted trying to read what was going through Danny's head right now. She knew that he had a meeting with the governor this morning.

"Relax Kono. I thought a lot about my ideas to transfer and I realized it was a rash decision, so I'm staying. Plus I can't leave you and Chin alone with Super SEAL; I don't want to attend your funerals." Kono sighed in relief and smiled brightly at Danny.

"So the meeting with the governor?" She prompted wondering why if Danny wasn't transferring he needed to meet with the governor. Yet it didn't seem odd since Steve wasn't around that Danny would have to meet with the Governor.

"The governor just wanted to make sure that I knew that the rules still apply, if not more so, now that Steve's gone. Where did Steve go anyway?" Danny asked hoping that she bought his explanation. The truth of the matter was, Danny couldn't go through with transferring. He couldn't bear to leave the people he considered family like that, all over some hopeless crush that would never amount to anything. So Danny was just going to have to suck it up and move on with his life.

"He's um off doing drills on the ship with Catherine." Kono replied bracing for how Danny's going to react. She's knew what it's like to hear about the person you love being with someone else. Danny closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He should've known that Steve would be with Catherine. He almost expected it really.

"It's okay Kono. I'm okay." He replied giving her a small smile to prove his point. Yeah it stung like a bitch and made Danny's stomach drop and his heart twinge, but it was for the best. Now Danny knows that he really can't keep holding a torch for Steve. He needs to man up and get over him. It was a hard pill to swallow, but thankfully he's got a week free of Steve to start getting over him.

_**A/N 2: Well now that Danny's not leaving, what else could possibly go awry for these boys? I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter and like always drop me a review and don't hesitate to let me know what you thought ~thatredheadgirl~.**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1.**

_**Author's Note: Okay so you guys are getting two updates in one day because tomorrow's Easter and I have a paper due Monday. So consider this an Easter (or if you don't celebrate Easter, a start to the week) gift. **_

Today is judgment day for Steve and Danny. It's been one week since the partners last saw each other and both are nervous about how today's going to go.

For Danny, he just hoped that all the emotional soul searching and thinking he's done this week in his work to get over his romantic feelings for Steve wouldn't be for naught. He really doesn't want to see Steve and go back three steps. Yes he still has feelings for his partner; he can't get over his deep feelings of love in a week, that's impossible. But he can hear Steve's name without cringing and think about him without too much of a painful twinge in his heart. He's making progress, baby steps, but it's progress. Danny ultimately just hoped that things don't get any worse than they were.

Steve is a bundle of nerves this morning. Sure it's one thing to not only discover his feelings for her partner and decide to ignore them on the ship, but now he's going to be face to face with Danny. Can he just as easily deny his feelings when he's forced to interact with Danny? That's if Danny's actually going to acknowledge him. He thinks that today he's going to see if Danny and he can talk about what happened. Maybe they can clear the slate and Steve could explain what had led him to that point. As he headed into the office for the first time in a very long week, Steve just hopes that Danny doesn't completely hate him. He missed his best friend.

Walking into the office this morning, Danny has a small smile spread across his face. He's finally beginning to feel like himself again and he really hoped that today is going to be a good day. He also hoped that they catch a case because he really doesn't want to be sitting in his office doing paperwork all day, he's had two days of paperwork too many. Thankfully when Danny walks in everybody's there, sure he may be okay with Steve, but the hurt feelings are still there and he knows that if he and Steve start hanging out and talking all the time he won't successfully get over him and Danny needs to get over Steve for his sanity and for the sake of Five-0.

"Hey Danny." Kono greeted shaking the box in her hand. They had become much closer, quite possibly best friends since Kono had broken and told Danny what she had done with Steve. Danny was thankful actually that she had interfered so much; it took a hell of a lot of pressure off of him. Sure it's not the way that Danny envisioned telling Steve about his romantic feelings, but nothing has really gone according to plan lately so Danny's just gonna roll with the punches.

"You are a goddess." Danny joked taking the box from her hands and digging into the fresh coco puffs. He has been craving this sugary delight for a couple of days and he thinks it's the best way to start off today. He lifted his head licking his lips and his fingers silently greeting Chin with a nod of the head and glances over at Steve. It's a baby step, since Danny hasn't really looked at Steve in three weeks, but he has to work with the guy for the foreseeable future so Danny's just gonna have to suck it up.

"I wonder what kind of compliment I would get from you if I brought you coco puffs." Chin joked happy to see that his two bosses could be in the same room together without such a heavy tense awkward air hanging over them. Sure, it was still really awkward since they have yet to talk to each other, but still it's a step up from before.

"You won't know unless you do. And you know me I'll never turn down fresh coco puffs from one of my favorite cousins." Chin smirked lightly shoving Danny and stealing one of his coco puffs before disappearing in his office leaving Kono with Danny and Steve. Danny shook his head and licked his fingers again closing the box and waving it at Kono in silent thanks again before heading off to his own office.

Steve glanced over at Kono, who only shrugged her shoulders before heading over to her office leaving Steve to stand there by himself. "Welcome back." Steve whispered with slight sadness before heading into his own office. Today was going to be a long day.

Thankfully they were only stuck in their offices for a short time before they were being called for a case. As they were talking through the crime later that afternoon, Steve was shocked when Danny actually answered one of his questions that he threw out for the team. He was momentarily stunned and he lost his train of thought for a second, but he quickly recovered and smiled softly in Danny's direction. It was a baby step, but still at least he had finally acknowledged him and it made his heart skip a beat with how much it meant to Steve.

Of course that didn't mean that they were going to be kicking back on Steve's couch and watching a game. No Steve quickly realized that Danny was only talking to him when it came to cases, but the moment it even tried to become personal, Danny would clam up or go off looking for Kono. If Steve were being completely honest, Danny's cold shoulder personally was like a stab to his heart, because he realized that he had been replaced in Danny's heart as the one he went to. It hurt Steve to know that they probably weren't ever going to be the best friends they had once been.

Chin saw Steve watching Danny and Kono talking in her office and shook his head. He could see the wounded puppy look on his face from all the way across the office and really Chin felt like he needed to set his boss straight. So striding quickly across the office, he just hoped that Steve took his advice to heart.

"Hey Steve." Chin greeted taking a seat in front of Steve's desk, breaking Steve's intense staring contest with Kono's office.

"They're much closer now aren't they?" Steve asked, deciding to get directly to the point.

"Yeah, they've been close for awhile now. But it wasn't until you left that they started spending pretty much all their together. Honestly, I thought they were dating but both Kono and Danny set me straight."

"So you know then?" Steve asked finally making eye contact with his friend.

"Yeah I know. And you wanna know what I think?" Chin asked glancing back at Kono's office to see Danny waving at her and leaving, most likely going to pick Grace up from school. Steve followed Danny's movements before turning and nodding, needing any little bit he can get right now. "You brought this on yourself brah. You pushed him away, that whole thing about him acting different and you not thinking he was focused enough is bullshit. You and I both know that you don't do relationships in any form. You're way too guarded to let anybody in, so of course, when Danny comes barreling into your life you panic. Seriously Steve, I know you're not that dense. I see the way you look at him when you think no one's looking and trust me brah, those looks have nothing clean about them. So tell me, you feel anything for him?" Steve opened his mouth ready to deny Chin's accusations but closed his mouth when Chin narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah I feel something for him. But I won't do anything about it, okay? There are too many 'what ifs' that I can't risk Five-0."

"Wow brah, you are just drowning in denial. I think you need to really stop and think about just how important Danny is to you, because the way I see it you and Danny are it. There won't be a messy breakup that divides Five-0, sure you'll fight, but you guys fought before and we survived. Stop hiding behind the Navy or whatever the hell else you're hiding behind and make a move already. Because the longer you take the higher the risk that he'll find someone else to make him as happy as you did." Chin stood locking eyes with Steve for a few moments, hoping that his words were going to sink in. And as he left the office, he couldn't help but wonder if Steve was going to do anything or continue to hide behind his naval career. The balls in Steve's court now and all Chin can do is hope that he knows how to follow through with his shot.

**A/N 2: And the plot thickens, is Steve gonna take Chin's advice or continue to be dense and stubborn? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Next chapter's up sometime Monday. ~thatredheadgirl~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: see chapter one**

_**Author's Note: So since you guys are so awesome with your reviews and I finished my paper early I'm posting this chapter a day early. But on the downside, we're almost to the end we've got seven chapters left. Thanks to everyone that has been reading and reviewing!**_

Danny was quite proud of himself, he finally felt as if he were really beginning to move on from his feelings for Steve. Although it pained him to not have any real closure to his feelings and he would sometimes find himself playing the 'what if' game, Danny knew that there wasn't going to a resolution to this situation and he would just have to stop thinking about that kind of future with Steve and find someone else. In his quest to get over Steve, Danny couldn't spend any unnecessary time with Steve.

So no longer was it common to find Danny on Steve's couch with a cold beer and a game on TV, or Danny sitting in one of the chairs in the sand watching Steve and Grace play in the ocean. It was hard to not spend time with someone that had become his best friend but it was for the best. Plus in the long run, Danny would remind himself, it was for the better. Once he didn't twinge in pain at a love lost in a sense, they could work out their issues and become the best friends, or a form of, that they used to be.

Danny wasn't expecting for Grace to question him one weekend about Steve. He had been making her pancakes in his tiny kitchen when Grace blindsided him, much like Steve liked to do he reminisced. "Hey Danno, are you and Uncle Steve mad at each other?" Grace asked glancing up from her Saturday morning cartoons. Danny almost dropped his whisk when he heard her innocent question and immediately panicked.

"Why do you ask monkey?" Danny asked turning from the bowl and looking at his sweet and innocent (to what was really going on) daughter.

"We haven't hung out with Uncle Steve in like almost two months. We usually spend the weekends there and this is the fifth time we've hung out here." She explained as if it were the simplest thing in the world. She really didn't understand why she hadn't seen Uncle Steve; they always hung out with Uncle Steve.

"Monkey, Uncle Steve and I are just taking some time to re-think some things. We've been dealing with some pretty tough and emotionally draining cases that we just needed some time apart." Danny inwardly cringed he hated lying to his daughter, but in this case his lie was much better than the truth. He couldn't bear to break his daughter's heart like that.

"He's probably really sorry for whatever he said." Grace explained thinking that Steve and Danny had just gotten into a fight like they usually did. At first it used to bother her, but once she saw that they needed to pick fights with each other to calm down it became almost natural for her. "He's probably sitting at his house all by himself bored and lonely, Danno." Danny sighed and his heart clenched when Grace looked at him with her own version of Steve's wounded puppy dog face. He couldn't say no to that face, not like he could ever really say no to his daughter. _Brightside, this will test if you really are over him._ Danny thought to himself as he sighed and went over to crouch down in front of Grace, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want to see if Uncle Steve's free today?" Danny asked hoping in vain that she said no. When her face lit up and she nodded Danny closed his eyes and nodded. This was not going to be fun. "Alright Monkey, I'll give him a call after we've had breakfast okay?" Grace bounced in her seat with excitement and hugged Danny tightly.

"It's gonna be okay Danno, Uncle Steve will apologize he always does." Danny closed his eyes and he turned away from her and back toward the pancake batter wishing that her innocent view of things was true. It would be so much easier if Steve and Danny were just in a fight.

After Grace had had her fill of Danno's delicious pancakes, she watched intently as Danny picked up his phone and dialed the once familiar number of his partner.

Steve walked down the stairs running his towel through his hair when the ringing of his phone caught his attention. Now that he and Danny weren't hanging out as much his phone didn't ring anywhere near as much, and as he went to pick it up from the table he hoped they didn't have a case.

"McGarrett." He answered having not bothered to check the caller ID.

"Hey Steve." Danny greeted trying to keep his voice even and controlled, although on the inside was he freaking out and his heart was beating wildly in his chest.

"Danny?" Steve asked pulling his phone away from his ear and no doubt seeing Danny's number and picture on the screen.

"Yeah, hey I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but Grace wants to see you." Steve's heart sank a little bit when he realized that Danny was probably only calling because Grace had made him. Although if Grace wanted to see him than that means that Danny would have to come to and it would give Steve the chance to explain some of the things going through his mind. After everything that has happened lately with his whole discovery of his feelings and that night, Steve just needs to sit Danny down and explain to him what's going on. Once Steve does that, Danny will forgive him and they can figure out where they go from here.

"If you want, you guys can come here and we'll spend a day on the beach." Steve suggested hoping that Danny didn't say no and suggest something else. He really wanted to spend the day with both Danny and Grace; he had missed them so much since everything had changed. Danny looked over at Grace and knew that she would want to spend the day in the water with her Aqua man of an Uncle Steve so sighing for the umpteenth time that morning, Danny agreed.

"Yeah that sounds like up her alley. So we'll be there in probably about a half hour, is that okay?"

"Yeah Danny that's fine." Steve almost faltered for a minute his tongue almost saying Danno, but he didn't want to screw this up. This could be the one chance that Steve has to finally get Danny alone and at least apologize for everything that's transpired between them in the past couple of weeks. Because honestly, Steve really misses hanging out with Danny and he wants to start at least being able to talk to Danny like before. He really has begun to rely on Danny's advice and it only took a couple of days without Danny for Steve to realize this.

"Thanks Steve." Danny honestly replied as he hung up the phone. The moment he pressed the red end button his stomach knotted and his heart jumped into his throat. This was not going to be a fun afternoon for Danny, he wasn't sure he could handle being that close to Steve without feeling an immense pain for the relationship that never was nor never would be. It still hurt to think that he never really had a chance with Steve and now he had to decide if he could even handle having the guy as his best friend again.

"What did he say Danno?" Grace asked grabbing Danny's mind before he could go off into the dark place. Danny shook his head and looked down at her sweet face.

"He's excited to see us. He's missed you like crazy and can't wait to hang out with you." Danny smoothly lied, yet again he hated lying to his daughter but she was much too young to learn the truth. Plus he really did think that Steve would be at least somewhat happy to see Grace, since they had been so close before Danny had to go ahead and fall in love with the guy, therefore ruining probably the best friendship either man had ever had. But there's nothing Danny could do about it now.

"Yay! Well come on! We have to get ready and go save Uncle Steve from his empty house, Danno." She replied quickly jumping up from her chair and flying over to Danny's dresser and pulling up the drawer that had become hers. Danny smiled softly, yet again wishing he could be that young and innocent again.

Steve was a nervous wreck. He had no idea how today was going to play out. Were they going to pretend that nothing was wrong between them just because Grace was there? Would Grace be able to feel the awkward tension between the two? Steve was driving himself crazy with all the questions flying through his head. All he could really do is cross his fingers and hope for the best, plus he's pretty sure that Danny wouldn't want to hurt Grace by telling her the truth. Hell even Steve wanted to shelter the sweet and precious little girl from the ugliness that had become their friendship.

When Danny pulled up to the house his mind immediately replayed the last night he had spent there. Hearing Steve's words for the millionth time still brought tightness to Danny's heart and slight anger to his body. Part of him wanted Steve to feel an ounce of the pain that he had caused Danny with his hurtful words. Plus who knows maybe today's the day where Steve will finally apologize. It's a part of the reason that Danny actually agreed to today, he could've easily faked dialed Steve's number and pretended that his partner was busy, but he didn't. He actually wanted to see the man apologize; hear the words coming from Steve's mouth. So hopefully by the end of today Danny would at least know if Steve really was sorry for that night or if he was just pretending so no one outright hated him for what had happened that night.

"Hey Grace!" Steve greeted as he opened the door and crouched down so Grace could hug him properly. "I missed you." He whispered close her to ear as he held her close to his body. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed the little girl until he had seen her pull up with Danny.

"I missed you too Uncle Steve." Grace replied squeezing her little arms tightly around Steve's neck.

"We're gonna have so much fun today. I was thinking we could hit the beach and spend some time in the ocean. Maybe we could boogey board and even build a sand castle so Danno doesn't feel so left out." Danny watched the scene in front of him as Grace and Steve made their way out of the house and felt the familiar ache in his chest. When he thought about him and Steve being together, he thought of moments like this, moments where they would spend the day playing with Grace and showering her with more love than she would know what to do. Plus hearing Steve call him Danno only made the ache harder to ignore. He had missed the almost affectionate way that Steve said the nickname that once was only meant for his daughter. This was not going to end well for Danny; he could feel himself falling for the guy all over again.

Steve chanced a glance back at Danno and wanted to sigh and smile. There was a small blissful smile spread across his face but his eyes weren't as blue as before, they seemed to be clouded by sadness. He really didn't like that look for his partner, but didn't really know how to completely take it away. Today was not going to end well for Steve.

Thankfully both Steve and Danny were able to put their mounting differences aside and spent the day with Grace. It was hard for both to pretend that nothing had changed from the last time Grace had spent with them. But they did it, and by the time the sun was setting and Grace was enjoying her burger on the lanai, both knew that they had been successful in their mission to keep Grace completely removed from their personal drama.

Danny could see Grace fading fast and smiled. It was cute to watch her fight to stay awake because she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her Uncle Steve. Both Steve and Danny chuckled quietly as Grace's head drooped slightly before she shook herself awake. "I think it's time for someone to get some shut eye. Come on Grace, we better get you home so you can sleep." Grace immediately started protesting and Steve jumped in before Danny could.

"She can stay in Mary's old room, Danny. We could have breakfast tomorrow before she goes back to Rachel's. What do you say Grace?" Steve knew it was a cheap trick to use Grace to keep Danny here, but he was going to take whatever opportunity he could.

"Please Danno?" Grace asked batting her sleepy eyes up at her father. Danny looked between Grace and Steve and sighed. He really didn't want to do this, but he couldn't say no to Grace.

"Alright." Danny conceded trying not to snap at them. He was angry at Steve for what he had done but he wasn't about to yell at him in front of Grace, she had witnessed enough fighting between him and Rachel.

"I'll put Grace to bed." Steve offered giving Danny a small smile, even though he wouldn't turn to meet his eyes. Grace stood up and went over letting Danny pick her up and hug her tightly.

"Goodnight daddy I love you." Danny smiled softly as Grace sleepily kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight Monkey, Danno loves you." Danny replied putting Grace down and watched her slowly make her way into the house leaving the two alone. "Don't think that I didn't see what you just did McGarrett and don't think I'm happy about this."

"I know Danny, but can you just hear me out? Give me a chance to explain? Please?" Steve begged catching Danny completely off guard; he hasn't heard Steve ever beg for something.

"Fine." He snapped picking up their glasses and bottles and making his way into the house. Steve smiled and turned to follow Grace, at least now he had the opportunity to actually talk to Danny.

_**A/N 2: Ah so they're finally going to talk, that's gonna be interesting and since the chapter's already written I can tell you it's a real dozy something you're probably not really expecting, but it was a blast to write. So like always don't hesitate to tell me what you thought (good, bad, or indifferent) but don't forget I reply to all reviews so I'm ready for anything. ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

_**Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews, I love hearing what you guys have to say. **_

Danny sat in what has been dubbed his beach chair and watched the tide roll in and ebb. He should've known that Steve would blindside him today and using his daughter against him? Yeah that was definitely a McGarrett trick that he should've seen coming. But yet he's been distracted by all the half naked McGarrett up in his face and his realization that yeah, he's definitely not over Steve. Not in the least bit. That thought is enough to make him smack his forehead hard.

"I'm sorry Danny." Steve starts handing Danny a long board and sitting in the chair next to him. "I'm sorry that I used Grace as a ploy to get you to stay. I'm also insanely, extremely, and deeply sorry that I was a complete and utter ass that night. I swear I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, it had nothing to do with my trust in you as a partner." Steve paused finally looking up to gauge Danny's reaction, he expected to see an angry Danny looking back at him, but all he saw was the side of Danny's head. "Danny, please say something." Steve pleads yet again Danny was not expecting that tone to ever come out of Steve's mouth.

"Yeah Steve you are an ass. You also need to start thinking about what you say before you say it, ya know stop putting your gigantic foot in your mouth? I mean had you just thought about what you were saying and maybe didn't go into a full Danny rant, we wouldn't be in this situation right now." He paused taking a long sip of his beer. "Wait we probably would be in some sort of this situation because ya wanna know something?" Danny asked finally turning and looking at Steve, really looking at him in the eyes for the first time since he walked out of Steve's house with his broken heart. Steve nodded also taking a long sip of his beer preparing himself for whatever's about to come out of Danny's mouth.

"I was gonna come clean that night. I finally thought that I could tell you exactly what was going on, ya know with how I felt and everything. But then you opened your fucking big mouth and shot that plan to hell. I mean did you even realize the shit coming out of your mouth? Did you realize how much you were hurt me with those hurts you were throwing at me? Romantic rejection I could've handled with a lot of booze and probably a random one night stand or two. But you telling me you didn't trust me in the field to have your back? Yeah that hurt like a bitch Steven. That hurt more than you telling me you didn't have feelings for me. That's honestly what hurt the most and what made me shut down."

"I know I hurt you that night Danny. I know that I was so fucking stupid and didn't really think that whole thing through. But don't you get it? I was so fucking worried about you that the thoughts running through my head weren't good ones. I jumped to the worst case scenario and they were heartbreaking Danny. So yeah I'll admit I made a complete ass out of myself and ruined the best thing I've ever had. And I won't apologize for worrying and caring about my best friend Danny, I won't. But Damnit Danny, you didn't even give me a chance to explain. You just ran off to Kono and shut me out ten ways to Sunday. How the hell was I supposed to apologize and admit that I was an ass if you wouldn't even look at me?"

"How the hell was I supposed to be around you without replaying every damn word that came out of your mouth? How the hell was I supposed to stand there and let you make it even worse? No Steven you needed to really think about what happened and realize just how bad it was. There was no way that you were going to apologize and really mean it until you really thought about it. Plus it's not easy being around you at the moment if you haven't realized. So excuse me for finally putting myself and my needs in front of you and yours. I mean fuck Steve; you don't need me, not when you have Catherine. I'm just the guy that you work with, the guy that you chose to hang out with from time to time." Steve shook his head feeling this conversation spinning dangerously out of control. He couldn't believe that Danny thought that.

"Danny stop, take a deep breath because I won't let this get out of control like it did last time. And you're wrong; you're not just some guy that I kick it with on my couch from time to time. You once said that we were best friends so in a way I do probably need you." Danny took a deep breath and chugged the rest of his beer before tossing the bottle down in the sand. Leaning forward he rested his head in his hands, successfully messing up his immaculate hair. Steve watched fascinated at finally seeing Danny not so put together.

It made Steve feel warm and slightly tingly inside at Danny being so open with him that he was willing to let Steve finally see his hair so messed up. Steve sighed and shook his head; he didn't need to be in that dangerous territory right now. "I really am sorry for how that night went down. I shouldn't have let you walk away; I should've gone after you. At least to make sure that you understood where I was coming from. You have to believe me Danny."

"I get it Steve, and I know now that that night was out of control. I know that you're sorry for saying the bullshit about our partnership and I'm sorry that I kind of overreacted. But, I know that you know everything. I know that Kono came here and told you, so really we're stuck in limbo all over again." Danny replied glancing quickly over at Steve, watching his shoulders sag slightly in most likely relief.

"Yeah Danny, but that doesn't have to change anything. I miss my best friend Danny. I miss us being the great partners we were. It's unfair that you keep ignoring me and shutting me out of your life. You and Grace mean a lot to me Danny and I'm tired of you ignoring me. What's it going to take for us to get back to some form of normalcy?"

"You think I like ignoring you? You think I like feeling like this? Well I don't Steve. I hate feeling so god damn lost and fucking sad. But guess what? I can't change that. I can't magically make my heart stop aching every time I think of you. I can't make myself stop thinking about you and everything we could've had in an alternate universe. So really, you're being unfair when you're asking me to put everything aside just so you can have a best friend back."

"Danny." Steve whispered as he watched Danny completely break in front of him. It made him ache to comfort him, but he knew it would only make matters worse. If only he could put his doubts and fears aside and really admit his feelings. Things could be so much easier for Danny, but Steve couldn't do it. He couldn't just change his mind about something that could potentially ruin everything.

"Don't Steve, just don't. I don't want to hear that speech about how it would never work or that you just don't have feelings for me like that. I already know. I know that you spent time with Catherine after your drills were over and I know you probably slept with her. And honestly yeah it hurts, but I get it. I know that I have to get over these feelings that have taken residency in my heart. I know that okay? So until I can look at you without feeling my heart twinge in regret or imagine the relationship that will never be, you're just going to have to deal without me. You need a best friend, go to Chin or hell even Catherine. Because I'm not ready to just be your best friend yet." Danny stood up and stopped to pick up his empty bottle.

"Danny I'm so sorry." Steve whispered glancing sidelong at Danny. His apology for much more than the cluster fuck that had become Steve's original talk to clear the air, he was sorry that he couldn't give Danny everything he wanted and probably needed from him. He was sorry that there would most likely never be anything more than friendship between them, because he was just too unsure of what would happen.

"So am I Steve, I'm sorry I ever even thought that any relationship between us could work. But what's done is done, so just please give me the space I need to get over you." Locking eyes with Steve one last time, Danny couldn't help the tears that welled up in his eyes. He ached to take the hurt look off of Steve's face. He never wanted Steve to feel an ounce of the pain he dealt with every day. Shaking his head Danny blinked his eyes a few tears slipping from his eyes as he quietly walked towards the house leaving Steve to think about what just happened.

_**A/N 2: well I don't know about you but that was emotionally draining to write. So they talked but is it really going to fix anything? I guess we'll have to wait and see. As always let me know what you think ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

_**Author's Note: I love love love all of your reviews. I love that you guys love this story so much and I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint. **_

The next morning things were only awkward between Danny and Steve until Grace came downstairs and then they were right back to slightly pretending that nothing was really wrong. Danny was still trying to process what had Steve said last night and Steve needed to really think about what he wanted from Danny. So while Danny was whipping up waffles and bacon for breakfast Steve was spending as much time with Grace as he could. There was still some tension between them but Steve was hopeful that the tension was dissipating.

Since the night that Steve and Danny actually talked, things have gotten a little better between the two. Not better in the way that Chin and Kono had thought, but still the two partners were able to talk to each other besides just about cases but nothing too personal was shared between them. Danny stopped spending all of his time with just Kono, instead opting to hang out with all the team. Most times they went out, Steve and Danny ended up being the fifth and sixth wheels to Chin and Malia and Kono and Charlie. Neither partner seemed to mind, since they were bonding as a team and Danny was trying to repair the damage that had been caused when he was too busy sulking to see the damage Five-0 was suffering at his own hands.

Tonight though, was a special night for the team they had just wrapped a high profile case involving teenage girls being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. After almost three solid weeks of searching high and low they were finally able to bring almost every girl home with the exception of the young girl that had tried to be brave and escape her captors, which lead to her grizzly death. But the parents were still thankful that Five-0 was able to bring her killers to justice. So the team and their significant others all headed to their favorite bar and proceeded to drown the past three weeks with alcohol and as much laughter as they could muster.

Danny felt good. He was happy that he was able to spend time with the people that meant the most to him without there being awkward tension. He and Steve seemed to be getting along a little better now. Danny had even managed to rant at Steve for his stupidity during one of their busts earlier in the week. It was like music to Steve's ears to hear Danny yelling at him, plus they had finally begun to ride in the same car this week too. It seemed that Danny was coming to peace with things between them. It gave Steve hope that things were looking up for them.

"Another round?" Danny asked toying with his empty bottle. He was sticking pretty sober tonight because he didn't want to make a fool of himself. Everyone nodded and he stood up making his way over to the bar for their drinks. He leaned against the bar watching the bar tender mix Kono and Malia's drinks when he felt someone come up next to him.

Steve scanned the bar still laughing at Chin's story about Steve's epic dive off a boat to catch one of their suspects when his eyes landed on Danny at the bar. He watched as a guy leaned on the bar next to Danny. Danny turned and smiled at the stranger as he introduced himself and before Danny could reply Steve knew that the guy had known who he was. As he watched this guy flirt with Danny, Steve's gut clenched. In the back of his head he knew why he was reacting like this, but he wasn't about to admit it out loud or even to himself. No he had made a decision when it came to his feelings, so he was in no way shape or form jealous of this guy. Sure the guy could be considered good looking, but he was too tall and lean with no hint of muscle definition to his frame. Steve wasn't an expert on all things Danny, but if his feelings were any indication then this guy was not Danny's type. He looked like the taller version of Danny, with his blond locks tousled like he had just rolled out of bed. His slippahs were also worn and frayed which coupled with his tank top and board shorts seemed to scream surfer and Steve didn't think that Danny would ever go for a surfer. _Unless that surfer is you. _

The longer Steve watched Danny flirt and be flirted with, the tighter his stomach began to feel and the tighter he balled his fists. He didn't like seeing someone hitting on Danny; he felt a sense of protection wash over him towards his partner. After hearing and witnessing firsthand the devastation that Rachel had caused after their divorce and still to this day, Steve doesn't want Danny jumping into a relationship without really knowing someone. He will not allow someone to hurt his Danno, not on his watch.

_Yeah because it's not like you haven't done enough of that right, right?_ He thinks shaking his head to get rid of that nagging voice, which sounds a lot like Kono. Looking to his left where Kono sits, Steve's disappointed almost to see her leaning over Charlie to talk to Malia about something. He would've much rather had her whispering in his ear than his inner conscious sounding like her because that was kind of creepy.

Clenching his fist Steve takes a deep breath hoping to alleviate the tension resting in his chest. He feels like he's slightly suffocating as he watches Danny smile one more time at the stranger before grabbing their drinks and heading back to the table. With each step Danny took closer to the table, Steve felt his chest loosen and his fist unclench. He felt better now that Danny was back at the table with them where he belonged.

It hit Steve with a startling ferocity. He loved his partner too much to be able to ignore his feelings. The only person that Steve wanted to make Danny smile was him. He didn't want someone else to have the opportunity to touch Danny intimately. Chin was right; there really was nothing clean about the way in which Steve happened to glance at Danny from time to time. And his need to protect him was much stronger than someone just looking out for his best friend. He only felt relief from intense jealously when Danny was seated next to him, where Steve was able to see him and touch him if needed.

Shit, Steve was royally screwed because it was only a week ago that he had seen Danny tear up at his lack of feelings. How on earth was he going to convince him that his feelings had changed and that he wanted and needed everything Danny had wanted?

_**A/N 2: Steve has great timing doesn't he? Finally after all that he realizes he's in love with him? Makes you wonder how this is going to play out, I'll give you a hint Mary's making an appearance in the next chapter. Let me know what you thought, ~thatredheadgirl~!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

_**Author's Note: Much love and thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter, I really do enjoy reading everything you guys have to say about this story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, although it's a tad less dramatic than the rest, but there is a lot of family love in this one so enjoy!**_

The next morning Steve wakes up feeling like a Mac Truck had run over him a few times the night before. No, he wasn't hung over at least not from alcohol; no Steve was suffering an emotional hangover. Thankfully it was Saturday and Steve didn't really need to be anywhere at this exact moment so he took his time getting up and even with his morning workout he took it easier than usual. Since he was still reeling from his emotional overload the night before, he's not used to thinking that much about how he feels.

As he was making his way up the beach towards his house he stopped when he spots his sister leaning against the doorway into the house. He smiles wide and quickly strides to the house, happy to see his sister. "Hey bro." Mary greeted holding his towel out in front of her, as much as she missed her brother she didn't want to get soaked from head to toe. Steve shook his head but took the towel and quickly dried off before pulling Mary to him in a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?" He asked once they had both had their fill of the tight hug.

"I've got a layover in between flights so I thought I would stop by and see how you're doing." Steve nodded motioning for her to follow him into the house.

"Coffee should be brewing, so make yourself at home. I'll be done really quickly, just need to shower and change." Mary nodded and made her way into the kitchen having already smelled the sweet aroma of coffee. Finding fresh fruit on the counter she set about cutting some of it up as she also started oatmeal for her brother.

Steve came back downstairs minutes later and smiled as he watched Mary move so effortlessly around the kitchen. "I made oatmeal and cut up some bananas and apples."

"Thanks Mary." Steve replied grabbing bowls for them and letting a silence fall between them as they made their breakfasts. It wasn't until they were seated at the table with empty bowls in front of them that Mary finally cracked.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked noticing her brother's slight change in behavior. Sure he's usually always quiet but today he seemed more subdued than usual and if Mary was a betting woman, she would bet that it had something to do with one Daniel Williams.

"Yeah I'm fine." Steve lied glancing out to the ocean. He didn't really think that he wanted to have this conversation with Mary, but if someone knew him the best it would be Mary.

"Wow, you're really gonna try and lie to me? I mean geez I know we don't see each other often, but I did grow up with you. So I'm gonna try again, is everything okay?" Steve paused listening to his sister sound almost exactly like their mom did when she knew they were lying.

"Everything's a little messy right now. Danny and I aren't really talking anymore."

"What happened this time? Did you finally realize that you have feelings for him and try to make a move?"

"Not exactly. More like he tried to woo me in a sense and I took it the wrong way and blew up. Which resulted in us not talking." Mary sat shocked at the turn of events. She thought for sure that Steve would be the one to realize his feelings for Danny first.

"Wow I thought for sure you would be the one that fell first. I mean you've had feelings for the guy since you met him." Steve opened his mouth to protest but Mary just raised her hand. "Trust me Steve during the handful of times that we actually talked after dad died you were always complaining about Danny in some way or another. It was cute really, hearing how frustrated you were with him. There were a few times that I just wanted you two to just sleep with each other and get on with. But wow did I underestimate just how ballsy New Jerseyians were."

"What are you talking about Mary?" Steve asked wondering how he had missed such a huge clue for the longest time. And yeah maybe Steve had been slightly attracted to his partner from the beginning. He was the one man that actually stood up to Steve and wouldn't back down no matter what Navy bullshit Steve threw at him.

"Come on Steve, you're really that dense? The sparks have been flying between you two for the longest time. It was sad really seeing how oblivious you two were, but I guess Danny finally got the hint huh? So tell me what was his brilliant plan to seduce you? Did he take up surfing? Maybe stop all his ranting and raving 24/7?"

"How the hell did you know that? Have you been talking to Kono lately?" Steve asked wondering how on earth Mary could've guessed what Kono and Danny would've cooked up in their lame plan to woo Steve.

"No I didn't talk to Kono, I just know you and I know what would succeed to get your attention. I'm shocked that Danny actually did all of that, he must really love you. I mean besides the whole putting up with your crazy antics and daddy issues and such. Man that guy needs an award."

"Gee thanks Mary, you make me sound like the worst person to spend time with." Mary sighed and leaned forward lightly slapping Steve's arm.

"You're a moron. I meant all that in a good way, plus what do you care? Danny seems to like you just fine, what with all the time you guys spent together. Honestly I was waiting for you to call and tell me you guys were together. So what happened to result in you guys not talking? Did you reject him or something?" Steve looked down slightly embarrassed by how things went down between them.

"Or something." He mumbled his coffee cup suddenly seeming very interesting at the moment. Even though he had told Danny what he had meant behind his almost interrogation that night, he still didn't like to think about it or even talk about it. It was not a proud moment for Steve.

"What happened?" Mary asked all traces of humor gone from her face and voice.

"I just wanted to make sure that Danny was okay, ya know? He had been acting differently for a couple of weeks and I was worried. But as I was trying to get him to talk to me, I kind of went off on him. I said some things that I'm not proud of nor will I repeat ever again and ended up putting my giant foot in my mouth." Mary sat back in her chair idly toying with her now empty cup, wondering what advice she could offer to her clearly distraught brother.

"Can I ask you a question?" Steve nodded knowing that things couldn't get much worse. "Do you care about Danny in any romantic way?"

"In the beginning no, I didn't at least I wasn't admitting to it. But then when I left for drills for that week, I really thought about it. And yeah Mary I do. I care so much about him that I'm not sure how to handle it. I'm unsure of what would happen if we were to be together, it's not like either of us have the greatest track record for relationships. What if it doesn't work?" Mary had to laugh at how absurd her brother sounded. "Yeah okay, I'm letting my guard down and baring my soul to you and you're laughing at me. Thanks Mary."

"No Steve, I'm not laughing at you per say. You just sound so stupid and absurd. You're worried that Danny's going to what? Find out some ugly truth about you and leave? That doesn't sound like the Danny I know. Ya know he's the longest relationship you've had period, best friend or otherwise. You've opened up to him about things that you wouldn't dare to anybody else. I'm pretty sure you've told him things that you've never told me. And has he run yet?" Mary asked finally sitting up and reaching out to grab Steve's hand. "Danny's still here. Do you not remember him staying here to clear your name, therefore giving up any chance he had at reconciliation with his ex? Do you not remember him risking his life to rescue your dumbass from North Korea? He's been with by your side from Day 1 even after you got him shot hours after you started working together." Mary squeezed his hand hoping that her words were helping clear the doubt from Steve's head. "You're never going to know what's going to happen until you try. I just want you to be happy bro, that's all. Mom and dad would just want you to be happy." Steve sat back and let Mary's words sink in. Everything she had sad was true. Countless times Danny has risked his life and career to save him or help him. He had no problems agreeing with Steve to steal the money to save Chin's life. He's been by Steve's side every step of the way to find Wo Fat.

"You're right Mary. I'm just letting my doubts ruin any chance we could have at a relationship. But I highly doubt he'd want to be with me now. Not after everything that's been said and not said between us." Mary sighed and stood up making her way over towards him. Leaning forward she wrapped her arms around Steve's shoulders hugging him from behind.

"Until you've tried everything you'll never know one way or the other. But in the end you have to make the first move and unless you're ready to do that than there's no need to even think about. It's gonna happen only if you want it too. And I'll love and support you no matter what you decide. Now that I've finally gotten you to open up and bear your soul, I'm gonna head out and soak up this sunshine before I head back to New York. Dinner before I leave?" She asked turning just before she reached the door.

"Of course." Steve replied quickly walking over towards her and hugging her extra tightly. "Thank you Mary, for just listening and getting me out of my own head." Mary shook her head and kissed his cheek.

"We're family and we've got to stick together and help each other out. I just want you to be happy Steve." Steve nodded kissing her cheek quickly before releasing her and opening the door for her. Mary smiled at him one more time before making her way to her rental car and driving off. As Steve watched her car pull out of the driveway he knew he had a lot to think about.

_**A/N 2: aww, Mary's just the best, hopefully she's finally gotten through Steve's thick skull huh? Like always let me know what you think (good, bad, or indifferent), I'd love to hear what you guys thought about this one. Next chapter's probably not going to be up until Friday, I've got a huge presentation tomorrow onto of an already busy day so until then ~thatredheadgirl~.**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: see chapter one**

_**Author's Note: The reviews for last chapter were awesome, I'm so glad that Mary's appearance was welcomed and appreciated and on that note I think you guys are going to love this chapter, especially if you liked the chapter before. Also you guys and myself lucked out today, because my morning class was cancelled therefore cancelling my presentation, so this chapter is a day early. **_

Since his talk with Mary, Steve seemed to have a better grip on his feelings for Danny. It was a little bit easier now to admit that yeah he was attracted to and liked Danny. Mary was right, he should be afraid of admitting that he's in love with Danny. But Steve still didn't know what to do with his feelings. He was sure that Danny was well on his way to getting over his feelings for Steve, so how was Steve supposed to tell him that he was just an idiot that couldn't see what was right in front of him?

If only he could've come to this realization the night that he and Danny were talking, then they could've been on their way to being together. Steve wasn't as worried about being with Danny anymore, because like Mary had so smartly pointed out Danny hadn't left running for the hills yet and he's been there for Steve through some pretty nasty shit. So really Steve is just a scared little kid who doesn't want to lose the best damn thing that's ever happened to him.

He's been thinking about his talk with Mary for days and even now, as he's sitting on his lanai with a cold beer, he's still thinking about it. It's been a ritual for the past couple of days, he'll come home from a long day of work, grab some food, and a cold bear or two maybe three and just sit out there thinking about the mess he's made of his life while watching the tide and how he could possibly even try to fix it.

Just as he's getting up to put his dishes in the sink maybe grab another beer, a knocking on the door makes Steve stop dead in his tracks. Every other time someone has knocked on his door it hasn't been a completely pleasant experience, so it's only natural that Steve would be a little apprehensive as he's making his way to the door. He pulls the door open without giving himself a chance to rethink this and is shocked to see Rachel, Gracie, and little Charlie standing in front of him.

"Rachel? What are you doing here? Is everything okay with Danny?" Steve fires off still not sure he's really seeing Rachel standing in front of him.

"Daniel's fine, Commander. Grace is actually the one that wanted to talk to you." Rachel replied smiling softly at Steve's immediate concern over Danny. She could now see that Grace wasn't completely off in her assessment of the situation between her father and his partner. Her daughter never ceased to amaze her with how intuitive she was.

"What's wrong Gracie?" Steve asked crouching down so they were at the same eye level. Grace looked up at her mother, who smiled and nodded.

"Can we talk just me and you?" Grace asked looking at Steve unsure of how he was going to react. Steve looked up at Rachel who again, just smiled.

"You can just drop her off once you're through talking. She's really adamant that she talk to you privately and I know that you'll watch out for her." Steve nodded and felt a little overwhelmed by the trust that Rachel seemed to have in him.

"Thanks Rachel, I promise I won't keep her out too late." Rachel nodded and bent down hugging Grace and giving her a kiss on her cheek. "So what's on your mind Grace?" Steve asked watching Rachel leave with Charlie.

"It's about Danno." She quietly replied following Steve into the living room. Taking a seat next to each other, Steve turned to her a smile spread across his face.

"What about Danno?" Steve prompted once she didn't reply right away. He could tell that she was probably nervous about how he might react and it made Steve smile even wider at her concern. "You can tell me anything Grace. I promise." Grace seemed to relax a little bit and glanced up quickly at Steve giving him a tentative smile.

"He's really sad Uncle Steve. He thinks that I don't notice it, but I do. I don't like seeing Danno so sad." She said looking down at her shoes as she kicked her legs back and forth. "I can tell you're kinda sad too Uncle Steve." His heart clenched at the sadness seeping through her voice, her concern for her Danno and him was endearing and made him want to reach out and hug her.

"Oh Gracie, I don't want to tell you that it's too complicated for you to understand because that's a cop out. So I'm gonna be honest with you, okay?" Grace looked up and nodded. "Danno and I are kind of stuck in a weird place right now."

"I can tell that he loves you, like he did with mom but different." Grace interrupted trying to make sure that Steve understood what she was saying. Steve shook his head; he didn't give her enough credit to how perceptive she was. "You love Danno too right? Because I can't tell sometimes." Yeah he definitely didn't give her enough credit.

"Yeah Grace I do love Danno." Steve admitted feeling as a weight lift from his shoulders with his admission, it was probably the first time that he's admitted his feelings out loud and it didn't feel as scary as he thought it would.

"Then why aren't you together?" She asked confused.

"It wasn't that simple Grace." Steve explained deciding to gloss over the specifics; she didn't need to know all gory details.

"But if you love and care about each other, why aren't you together?" She asked wondering why adults had to make things so complicated.

"There was a lot more involved than us just simply being together." He replied knowing that to her, it really was that simple and it made Steve wish that the world really worked like that. They wouldn't even be in this mess if it was as simple as being together or not being together.

"But you love him, so it seems easy. I mean, mommy and Danno loved each other and they were together. So really I don't see what's so hard about that." Grace replied crossing her arms and putting on her best 'Danno rant face on'. It warmed Steve's heart to see how passionate Grace was about this whole situation and how much she loved her Danno.

"Yeah you're right Grace it doesn't look hard when you explain it like that." Steve reasoned smiling slightly at the bright look that crossed her face.

"You're gonna make Danno happy right? Because I really don't want to see him sad anymore, I want happy ranting Danno back. Don't you?" Grace asked now giving Steve her best hopeful look, he's pretty sure that Danny's compared one of Steve's looks to that one and he finally knew why it was virtually impossible to say no to that face.

"I'll do everything I can Grace; I promise I won't let you down." Grace beamed and jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around Steve's neck hugging him tightly. Steve relished in the warmth of her hug and hugged her back equally as hard. His head was spinning from Mary's advice and Grace's frank discussion as well, and now Steve knows that he has to makes his right, because he hasn't ever broken a promise to Gracie and he wasn't about to start. So Steve needs a plan.

**A/N 2: And that is what I like to call the icing on the realization cake. Steve not only needed Mary to get through to him, but Grace was the one that in a sense hit the fire under Steve to get his act together. How where do we go from here? Let me know what you thought ~thatredheadgirl~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

_**Author's Note: Yet again you guys truly are amazing for the reviews from last chapter. I can't thank you enough to continuing to read this story. We're in the final stretch with this chapter, only two more to go. So I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

Steve is driving himself crazy. He's spent the better of the past three days holed up in his house trying to come to terms with the crazy thoughts and feelings he has regarding Danny. There is no question, especially after that fateful night in the bar, that Steve loves his partner very much. Steve can finally admit it without having a full blown emotional panic attack. But there are still doubts in the back of his head.

Steve's not entirely sure that Danny really knows what he's getting himself into, doesn't know about all the emotional baggage that Steve carries around with him hidden behind his Navy SEAL calm cool and collected mask. Yeah, Danny knows about the toll that the death of his parents has taken on him, and all about Wo Fat having a vendetta out for him (if you think that Danny hasn't been privy to every piece of information regarding Wo Fat, then you don't know Steve or Danny very well). He knows about Steve's intense worry about his sister being so far away from him, for her own protection but still Steve feels the need to protect his sister at all costs she's the only family he's got left. He knows about Steve's tendencies to be insanely reckless in the pursuit of their suspects or justice for that matter. Plus Danny has stuck by him for the past almost two years without too much of a problem. Sure he liked to rant a lot about every little thing that Steve does, but it could be a hell of a lot worse. Danny could've been actually fighting Steve the whole way. Instead it seems to Steve as if Danny supports Steve's crazy antics, so that makes Steve a little less unsure about a relationship with Danny.

But Danny doesn't know about the trust issues that Steve deals with on a regular basis. He doesn't know about the intense jealously that Steve has been prone to have, his very territorial over things that he considers his (i.e. the night at the bar Steve wanted to physically hurt the guy hitting on his Danno). He doesn't know just how much losing his mother and father has done to Steve, how much it messed with Steve's mind, or how much it makes Steve wonder when he's going to lose another person he loves and cares about. Plus Steve's never really been with a guy before so he really has no idea how a relationship is supposed to work. Well okay it's probably not too much of a stretch from a relationship with a woman, but Steve hasn't had many of those (one night stands and occasionally hooking up with Catherine don't count). So there's also that whole issue that would need to be dealt with and Steve is not ready to hit up Google and learn how to be a good boyfriend to Danny, at least not yet.

Basically, Steve's just worried (scared) that he's going to lose Danny, judging by the way that he's behaved without having Danny around for the past couple of weeks, if he were to lose him it wouldn't bode well for everyone else. So of course, what do you do when you're afraid of losing something? You push it away before you get too attached. It was supposed to be simple, but then romantically stunted Steve just had to realize that he's in love with the guy. And now Steve's thinking that he has to do something, because maybe just maybe Danny will understand and will accept Steve immense flaws and all.

Thankfully Steve is saved from his crazy thinking when they land a case. It's a tough case involving some shady drug dealers trying to bring purified ice onto the island, and in doing so had ended up killing a few of their crew off the coast. So for days Steve is blissfully wrapped up in hunting down some pretty smart drug dealers and has no time to even think about Danny and how much he loves the guy.

Danny's worried because Steve seems a little more reckless than usual. Sure he'll usually go into a building gun pointed and ready to fire at will, and won't hesitate to fire said weapon. But this time it feels different. It almost feels like Steve's looking for danger and it scares Danny because he's only seen Steve act like this once before. And that time, Danny walked away with a bullet in his shoulder and slightly achy knuckles from punching Steve in the face. So yeah, Danny's insanely worried about his partner.

That is until they go to arrest the ring leader of the up and coming drug ring. It's a routine bust, go in and arrest the guy just hanging out in their safe house. They've done countless busts like this before; at least Danny has back when he was with HPD and Newark PD. So really Danny shouldn't be concerned, except Steven J. McGarrett is involved and if Danny knows one thing it's that busts never go as smoothly as they should. But still Danny trusts that Steve won't do anything crazy, he does have a daughter he'd like to see on Wednesday.

Just because Steve and Danny think that the bust is going to go down by the book. Nope, Steve hasn't even killed the engine of the Camaro before the bullets start flying. Immediately jumping into action, Steve feels the intense feeling to protect Danny. He's never felt this feeling that intense before and before he knows it, he's moving in front of Danny, blocking him from the bullets flying at them. They move in sync with each other, with Steve just a fraction more in front of Danny than on his side. After they've approached the house and made their way inside, Steve and Danny take the upstairs moving quickly from room to room. When they reach the master bedroom, Steve gets a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach but he ignores it and moves behind Danny as they enter the master bedroom. Once the room is clear they slowly move to the balcony and find their suspect about in the middle of making his escape down the side of the house. Danny and Steve move quickly yelling at the guy to freeze his only response is to raise his weapon and fire, Steve quickly ducks hoping that Danny does the same, but he's doesn't. He hears Danny's muffled curse and curses under his breath as the bullet hits his shoulder, hitting close to the edge of his vest and penetrating the skin. The bad guy drops down the side of the house as Danny stumbles back from the force of the close gunshot and hits the railing sending him falling to the ground.

"Danny!" Steve yells flying to the railing to try to grab Danny's hand before he fell. Without thinking Steve jumps over the side of the railing hearing Chin and Kono yelling at their suspect to drop to his knees. With shaky hands Steve pulls his phone out and calls for an ambulance, before leaning down to check on Danny, who's only groaning lying flat on his back. "Can you tell me where exactly it hurts?" Steve asks applying pressure to Danny's shoulder wound cringing when Danny hisses in pain and arches slightly off the ground and toward Steve's hand. His quick movements only exaggerate the pain from the fall and Danny cries out in pain closing his eyes and falling back to the ground.

"Everywhere." Danny gasps out looking up at Steve with pleading eyes.

"It's okay Danny, just relax the paramedics will be here soon. Just stay with me okay?" Danny looks at Steve with a look that tells Steve that if he weren't shot and suffering from falling from the second story of a house he would've made a sarcastic comment. Steve smiles softly and takes a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Inside he's absolutely freaking out watching Danny get shot and fall from the balcony in slow motion over and over in his head; it makes his gut clench to watch Danny tumble over without Steve having any chance to save him. Steve feels immense relief flood his system when he sees the paramedics enter his line of sight and once they reach Danny he removes his hand from Danny's shoulder reaching down to grab Danny's hand. Danny squeezes back thanking Steve for the gesture as the paramedics bandage up his wound and place him carefully on the stretcher. It goes without question that Steve's riding with Danny to the hospital and Steve didn't release Danny's hand until the doctor wheeled him into surgery to remove the bullet and patch up the wound.

Steve sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs with his head in his hands. He keeps replaying the moment went over the edge of the balcony and every time he sees Danny hit the ground his heart stops. He can't stop his mind from going to the 'what if' place, what if it had been a higher balcony? What if the bullet had hit Danny square in the head? And the scenarios just keep getting worse and worse from there. The only common dominator is that Steve has to tell Danny how he feels.

He has no choice, because with their jobs who knew what danger was going to hit them next and Steve can't waste another moment. Danny needs to know how he feels. Danny deserves to know that Steve's in love with him. Steve just needs to figure out how to tell Danny and make Danny understand what has held to his feelings, because it was less than almost three weeks ago that Danny was telling Steve he needed time to get over him because Steve couldn't reciprocate his feelings. Plus if Steve tells Danny now that he loves him, he'll think it's only because he watched Danny get shot and essentially thrown from a balcony.

No Steve needs to come up with a plan, because after being faced with the possibly of losing Danny he cannot do anything else that will further drive Danny away.

"Commander McGarrett?" Steve looks up at the doctor, whose standing a few feet away from Steve, and he immediately jumps up making his way towards the doctor.

"How's Danny?" He asks searching his face for any nonverbal indication of how Danny's really doing.

"We were able to remove the bullet from his shoulder without a problem and there is no internal bleeding from his fall. He does though have a lot of bruising and a few cracked ribs from the fall. We're going to keep him for about a day or two to make sure that everything's fine."

"Can I see him?" Steve asks seeing Chin and Kono approach from his side. He had completely forgotten about them and the case, because he was so concerned about Danny.

"Once he's moved into his room, you can see him two at a time."

"I want to be here for him overnight." Steve catches himself saying looking at the doctor expectantly ignoring the inquisitive looks from Chin and Kono.

"Since your Five-0, I guess we can allow it. But only you." Steve nods and thanks the doctor before turning to Chin and Kono expectantly. Both are silent for a few moments before Steve mentions the bust and then both begin filling Steve in.

Almost an hour after the doctor had talked to Steve they were finally able to see Danny. Steve, of course, sent Chin and Kono in first since he wanted to shower and change his clothes. Thankfully Kono had offered to go and grab food for them and had stopped by Steve's to pick him up some changes of clothes and other things he would need since he was staying the night with Danny.

Once Steve was alone with Danny in his private room, he was finally able to reassure himself that Danny was in fact okay and that he was going to be okay. He pulled up the chair so he could watch Danny sleep and gave in reaching out and grabbing his hand.

"I love you so much Danno. I was so scared that I had lost you before I even had you. There's so much I need to tell you to make you understand how serious I am with how much I love you. I promise you Danno, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make up for all the time I wasted being stupid." Steve squeezed his hand and watched Danny's chest rise and fall letting his calm breathing help calm Steve's frayed nerves.

_**A/N 2: So Danny's injured and Steve has finally realized he has to tell Danny how he feels, which will carry us right to the end, where hopefully everything will come together just the way it should. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and like always drop me a review to let me know how you liked (or didn't like) this chapter! ~thatredheadgirl~**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1.**

_**Author's Note: Holy Moly, I just saw the amount of reviews for this story and I can't believe there's well over 100 reviews, that's more than I could ever dream of for this story. I appreciate every single person that has reviewed for this story and I can't thank you enough for all the love this story seems to have. Here's the chapter I like to think you guys have been waiting for quite some time, so I hope I don't disappoint!**_

Steven J. McGarrett is a man on mission; he plans to not just tell Danny how much he loves and cares about him but show him just how deep his feelings are. It's simple really, he's just going to do things for Danny that he knows will show him just how serious he is about this.

Danny himself gave Steve the first idea when he got hurt. Steve's not comfortable with leaving Danny by himself in his crappy apartment while he's recovering from getting shot. So he's going to suggest (gently demand really) that Danny spend his recovery period at his house. His couch is much more comfortable, he'll have Steve's flat screen TV at his disposal, and Steve there to make sure he's taking care of himself. Plus there's room for Grace if she wants to spend time with her Danno while he's recovering. So really it's a genius idea, Steve just needs to get Danny to agree. So as he takes a seat next to Danny's sleeping form in the hospital bed, he finally breathes a sigh of relief, Danny's alive.

Waking up this morning, Danny can only think about how much everything hurts when he breathes or even thinks about moving. He remembers bits and pieces about what happened the previous day, like being shot, falling from a balcony, and he has the vague feeling that Steve had been holding his hand. That vague feeling brings an internal smile to his face, since Danny's pretty sure even attempting to smile would cause him intense pain. But Danny needs to open his eyes, only so he can turn off the bright ass lights that make his head hurt even more. So slowly, ever so slowly cracking up his eyes, much like one would suffering from a bitch of hangover, Danny takes in the room he's in. It's your typical hospital room, except there is a Navy SEAL slumped over in the chair next to his bed, his hand just inches away from Danny's.

Steve stayed the night. He's not entirely surprised that Steve's here this morning, but it just reaffirms that Danny didn't imagine Steve holding his hand yesterday it had really happened. This thought makes Danny crack a smile when he hears the door to his room opening and he slowly turns his head seeing the nurse smile coyly at both Danny and Steve. She nods her head, reading Danny's eyes that they should let the man sleep and quietly enters the room.

"Good morning Detective." She softly greets her smile making Danny feel like he's in good hands. "I'm Hanna and I'll be taking care of you today. I just need to check everything and then I'll give you your next dose of pain medication." Danny glances over at Steve and Hanna follows his eyes. "The night nurse told me he'd been up most of the night just watching you sleep, it's sweet really how worried he was about you. I'm just glad that he's finally getting some rest." Danny nods slowly as to cause the least amount of pain as possible. "The doctor will be in shortly to check up on you and hopefully you'll be out of here soon." Danny smiled in thanks as she gave him another dose of pain medication and fixed his blanket before leaving. Danny watched Steve sleep for a few moments before his eyes grew heavy and he drifted back into a painless sleep.

The next time Danny woke up Steve was still sitting next to his bed, but was wearing different clothes and was talking to the doctor. He could tell by Steve's face that the doctor had most likely given Steve good news and that made Danny instantly relax. Hopefully he was getting out of this white sterile room soon. Steve heard Danny move just slightly and turned his head quickly towards him, flashing him a sincere relieved smile before the doctor grabbed his attention again.

"I would suggest though that Detective Williams stay with someone so that he can rest fully without potentially aggravating his injuries any further." Steve nodded smiling at the opportunity he was presented.

"Danny will be staying at my house so he'll be able to make a full uncomplicated recovery." Danny froze hearing Steve's response, could he really handle being at Steve's house for who knows how long while he recovered? Sure things were getting better for them, but really that was a lot. But on the other side, Steve did have really comfortable beds and his couch is awesome and let's not forget the flat screen TV. Okay so maybe Danny could handle staying at Steve's, it was way better than his apartment. Steve and the doctor talked for a few more moments before he turned checking Danny's chart one more time and making sure that Danny was comfortable before leaving the two partners alone.

"Hi." Danny managed to whisper with his scratchy throat. Steve smiled and grabbed the glass of water placing the straw near Danny's lips. Danny took a grateful sip, the cool water working magically to ail his sore throat. "Thank you."

"Feeling any better?" Steve asked sitting back down in what had become his chair over night, and his shoulders and neck still hurt from his short two hours of sleep. It was worth it though.

"A little bit, doesn't hurt as bad." Danny replied still feeling twinges of pain, but thanks to the rest and pain medication he could handle the pain. "How bad is it?" Danny asked wanting to know just how bad he was.

"Well for being shot and falling from a second story balcony, it could be worse. The doctor says that you seemed to relax your body before you fell, because you only have some deep bruising and sore muscles. He says you're extremely lucky about that and that you're shoulder was through and through."

"How long till I can bust out of here?" Danny asked already uncomfortable being in this bed, with a gown that leaves nothing to the imagination in the back.

"It's looking like this afternoon, but quite possibly tomorrow morning." Danny wanted to groan but couldn't muster up the energy. "Yeah I know Danno, but it's for the best really." Danny just nodded and closed his eyes feeling the effects of his pain medication taking over. As he drifted off Steve leaned back in his chair and watched Danny sleep.

Danny was released the next morning and Steve was there with comfortable clothes and coco puffs for him. He thought that after spending 48 hours in the hospital and its borderline disgusting food that he deserved a nice treat. Danny was extremely grateful, not even waiting to eat the sweet treat instead he began eating them as Steve wheeled him out of the hospital. When they reached the exit Danny looked up from his empty box and smiled when he saw Grace standing next to Danny's car with a get well balloon. "Danno!" Grace exclaimed racing from the car to the wheelchair where Danny sat.

"Hey Monkey." Danny greeted smiling brightly at his sweet daughter and carefully using his good arm to give her a tight hug.

"I brought you this balloon, we would've come and seen in the hospital but mom said you needed your rest. But guess what? Mom said that I could come spend the day with you at Uncle Steve's."

"That's awesome Gracie, I can't think of a better way to start off my vacation from work." Grace smiled and kissed his cheek before getting up from his lap and walking towards the car next to Steve. Danny looked up at Rachel and found her smiling down at him. "Thank you Rachel."

"It's quite alright Danny, Steve called and asked if Grace could come and help him take care of you and she insisted that I let her." Danny smiled at her and glanced back at Steve, who only shrugged and helped him and Grace into the Camaro before turning and thanking Rachel before heading back to his house. Danny was floored that Steve would go to so much trouble just so he could make up for missing his Wednesday with Grace this week. It made Danny smile at how sweet Steve was being with him.

Getting Grace for an extra weekend was just the beginning of the sweet and thoughtful things that Steve would do for Danny. Steve also cooked for Danny all the time. The first couple of days that Danny was at Steve's, Steve had made sure to be there just in case something happened and therefore Steve was able to make sure that Danny was eating and eating well. So Steve made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Danny. It was extremely nice to eat something home cooked instead of living on takeout like he had been. It was also surprising that Steve could cook more than steaks and burgers.

Steve also made purchased the MLB package so Danny could get all the Yankee and Mets games that he could stomach. Danny had been floored again at how thoughtful Steve was being during his recovery. After the last time he and Steve played roommates, he thought for sure that this wasn't going to end well. But Steve was being thoughtful and dare Danny say, boyfriend like in his caretaking duties.

Even when Steve goes back to work, he still makes sure that Danny has everything he could possibly need by the couch before he even gets up in the morning. It surprised Danny when he woke up and Steve helped Danny move downstairs at the amount of stuff Steve had placed in his usually clean living room. "Now remember Danny, don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I don't care how small it may be, if you need it and can't get it or don't have it, call me. If you can't for some odd reason reach me, call Kono or Chin. I'll stop by at lunch if we don't catch a case to have lunch and check up on you."

"Alright Super SEAL, I got it. Call if I need anything and hide anything incriminating before you come home for lunch." Steve nodded handing Danny a steaming cup of coffee before reluctantly making his way out of the door and off to work. Danny didn't think that he could call and check up on him, even after they caught a case, Steve still made sure to call in and check on him. But each time that Danny's phone hit up with Steve's picture it made Danny feel warmth spread through his chest and love blossom in his stomach. It had been a long time since Danny had felt this cared for and about, most likely the last person who doted on him this much when he got hurt was his ma.

Two weeks after Danny had been released from the hospital, he was finally able to go back to work. He thought for sure that by now Steve would've made comments about Danny going back to his place, but Steve hasn't said a word about it. Plus it's not as weird for Danny to be here anymore, they've fallen into a rhythm living together and now that Danny's moving about, he's able to help out much more around the house.

But still the morning of Danny's first day back, he's surprised to wake up the sweet smell of bacon and coffee hitting his nose. The aroma is enough to make him pull himself up and out of bed and into the shower. He really shouldn't be surprised by now with all the things that Steve is doing for him, but it's sweet for Steve to go out of his way to make Danny breakfast. It made Danny's heart beat a little bit harder at the thought that Steve had gotten up, done his insane morning workout, and decided to make breakfast for Danny all before Danny had even stirred from his sleep.

Steve smiled to himself as he heard Danny make his way down the stairs. When he saw the smile on Danny's face, he knew his subtle plan was working. It was only a matter of time before Steve had Danny right where he wanted him. "Good morning." Steve greeted giving Danny a wide smile as he handed him his coffee, just the way he liked it. Danny smiled in thanks and sat down in front of his plate.

"Thanks for breakfast." Steve shrugged waving off Danny's thanks and motioned for him to eat up. Danny smiled; Steve never ceased to amaze him. As they were finishing their breakfast Steve's phone rang breaking the calm of their morning and they were off on a case and Danny couldn't be happier. After sitting at home for the full recommended medical leave, he was more than ready to get back to work. Sure his shoulder still hurt but it was a simple gunshot with it missing any muscles, so after two weeks of being careful Danny was able to get right back to work. And he couldn't think of a better way to start off his first day back then by being thrown into a case.

Danny's happiness over finally getting off the couch and back to work lasted for about a day and half. Their case was a particularly draining one that had them burning the midnight oil for days on end. Even though they spent almost twenty hours of the day in the office, Steve still made sure that Danny ate and rested if possible. It wasn't unusual to see any of the team taking quick catnaps in the office while they waited for results or warrants, or to see a delivery guy or Kamekona leaving the Five-0 office after delivering food. But after spending a very long week they finally caught the guys who killed an innocent couple, who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Danny had never been happier to see Steve's couch than he was that night. He was so tired but too keyed up to go immediately to sleep, so Steve ordered them pizza and they kicked back on the insanely comfortable couch, catching up on the Yankees game.

But Steve had one more little gesture up his sleeve. When the pizza came, Danny was confused when he saw the two boxes in Steve's hand. He didn't think that anybody was joining them, but Steve just opened the top box to check it before setting it down on the table in front of Danny. Without a word Steve walked around the couch and took a seat next to Danny, opening his own box and pulling out a piece of his pineapple pizza. Danny glanced down at his own box and opened it floored to see that Steve had ordered him his own pizza. It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture for Steve to order him his own pizza and not make a comment on Danny's hatred of pineapple. Finally, Danny's sleep deprived brain puts the pieces together and he turns to Steve with a confused smile on his face.

"Steve." He starts making Steve turn from the game with a piece of pizza half in his mouth.

"Yeah Danny?" Steve asks after he's chewed and swallowed.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" He baits giving Steve an opportunity to say anything.

"Like what?" Steve replies a sly smile on his face; he can see the light in Danny's eyes. He's finally put the pieces together, and Steve can't help but think it's about damn time.

"Steven, are you trying to tell me that you love me?" Danny asked a curiously nervous smile splayed across his face. Steve waits, staring at Danny searching every inch of his face for a clue as to if Danny's feeling this or not.

"Well Danno…"

_**A/N 2: Hmm I wonder how Steve's gonna reply and you guys had to know that I was going to give some sort of cliffhanger. It's about that time folks; we're almost at the end of our ride here. I can't wait to read what you guys have to say about this chapter and stay tuned for the final installment to this story. ~thatredheadedgirl~**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

_**Author's Note: Your reviews were so amazing that it pushed me to write this chapter and post it tonight. I can't thank you enough for your amazing reviews from beginning to end. It's been a fantastic ride and I hope this ending gives you everything you wanted!**_

"Steven, are you trying to tell me that you love me?" Danny asked a curiously nervous smile splayed across his face. Steve waits, staring at Danny searching every inch of his face for a clue as to if Danny's feeling this or not.

"Well Danno…" Steve started tossing his piece of pizza back in the box before shifting down closer to Danny. "What if I am?" Steve asks placing the ball right back in Danny's court. He knows that this conversation is not going to be easy and he might not get the immediate response he wants, but it's the conversation that needs to be had.

"This isn't a game Steven." Danny replies wanting a straight answer from him. He's much too tired to beat around the bush.

"I know Danny, I'm just checking to see how you feel about me trying to tell you that." Steve reasons reaching forward to rest his hand on Danny's forearm. They probably shouldn't be having this conversation after such a grueling week, but Steve's tired of waiting.

"We need coffee because I don't think this conversation is going to be a short one." Steve nods squeezing Danny's arm before getting up and making his way to the kitchen. Danny takes a deep breath waiting a few moments before getting up and following Steve into the kitchen.

"You know how I felt about you, no still feel about you. But I'm not entirely sure that I know what's going on with you. I need you for once to talk about your feelings and tell me everything Steve." Danny almost pleads leaning back against the counter right in front of Steve. Steve runs a tired hand through his hair and takes a deep breath listening to the coffee maker come to life right behind him.

"I'll tell you everything you need and want to hear, Danny. But you have to promise to let me talk, without interrupting and just listen to what I'm saying. Don't make up your mind until you've heard everything I have to say. Promise me Danny." Steve begs his hopeful yet nervous eyes locking onto Danny's. He needs to know that Danny will let him get everything out. Danny nods shifting so that he's sitting on the countertop, he has a feeling they'll be here awhile. Steve pushes off of the counter and begins to pace in front of Danny. "In the beginning, I'll admit I didn't necessarily feel anything romantic for you. At least I most likely wasn't ready to admit to it. But then everything went to hell between us and I panicked. If I couldn't even be a good best friend, how the hell was I going to be a good boyfriend? I mean shit; I've never had a successful relationship besides hooking up here and there. Plus we are such polar opposites in some regards and at times we didn't make any sense. So I thought for your own good I should distance myself from you, because you deserve a hell of a lot better than me especially after everything that I've done. But then I saw how hurt you were the night we talked and it broke my heart Danny. It killed me to see that I had hurt you that much when I thought I was doing the best for you." Steve paused taking a deep breath and trying to keep his thoughts together. He has possibly one chance at this and he's determined to make the most of it.

Danny reaches out laying his hand on Steve's shoulder and giving him a gentle squeeze, silently telling him to take his time. There's no rush with this, they have all night if they need it. Steve smiles and relaxes a little bit standing in front of Danny, his hands resting lightly on his thighs. "It didn't hit me until I left for drills that maybe the feelings I had for you went deeper than friendship and because I was too scared to ruin what we had more than I already had, I decided to push my feelings away. I couldn't lose you completely in case we didn't work, I thought that if you really knew me and spent even more time with me you'd finally see the mistake you'd made and I couldn't let that happen. I'd rather have you as a friend than as nothing at all." Danny's hand still holding Steve's shoulder squeezed tightly when Steve mentioned Danny leaving and Steve had to chuckle quietly at that. "Yeah Danno, I know it was a stupid thing to think, Mary said as much too. But still you understand why I'd think that right?" Danny nodded following Steve's only command of not interrupting him; he needed to hear everything that had brought them to this moment. "Speaking of drills, you know I was on the same ship as Catherine, but I want you to know that nothing happened. I didn't sleep with her and I broke off our friends with benefits thing." Danny felt himself relax.

The coffee maker beeped behind them grabbing the attention of both. Steve turned reaching for two cups and quickly making them each a cup before turning back to Danny. When their fingers brushed this time Danny reached out and held Steve's hand giving it a reassuring squeeze. He needed Steve to know that he wasn't going anywhere. Steve took a large sip of the hot liquid and set his cup down, his hands resting back on Danny's thighs. "When I got back from drills, you seemed to be much better as if you were starting to get over what had happened between us and when I saw how close you and Kono were, it hurt like hell. I knew in that moment the first morning I got back, that you were replacing me in your life. You didn't need me anymore and I had lost the best damn thing that had ever happened to me and I realized with some help from Chin, that I needed to figure out what I wanted and fast."

Danny smiled and shook his head; leave it to Chin to knock some sense into Steve. It also hurt Danny to know that seeing him with Kono had made Steve think he could be replaceable, because try as Danny might he could never replace Steve in his life. "Whoa babe, back up for a minute yeah I know I promised not to interrupt but I have to okay?" Steve nodded using this time to take another sip of his coffee, the caffeine doing wonders to calm his nerves. "Kono did not replace you in anyway, because you my crazy Neanderthal Navy SEAL are irreplaceable. You got that?" Danny asked lightly jabbing Steve's chest with his finger.

"Yeah Danno I got it. Can I continue or do you have anything else that can't wait?" Danny lightly pushed Steve muttering under his breath something about Steve's ass before motioning for him to continue by pretending to zip his lips and toss away the key. "Alright so where was I? Oh yeah that night at the bar. Do you remember that night at the bar where some surfer approached you? Well that night was when it finally clicked that I was in love with you. I felt such intense jealously coursing through my body as I watched that beach bum put his giant paws on you and don't lie and say you didn't enjoy it. Because I saw the smile you flashed at him before you walked away and that was not a simple smile, and that pissed me off. I wanted to be the one that got that smile, to be the one that got to put my hands on you." Danny chuckled and glanced down at his thighs where one of Steve's hands was gripping lightly. Steve's eyes followed and he squeezed making Danny tense his muscles. "But still I knew my timing was shitty, I knew that I was royally fucked and had no idea how to even tell you how I felt, you know how I get when there are feelings and talking involved."

"Yes I do, my romantically stunted friend." Danny interrupted not being able to control himself. Steve shook his head.

"So much for being quiet." Steve joked looking down into Danny's empty cup and motioning if he wanted more. Danny just scoffed and lightly hit the back of Steve's knee with his foot, making his knee give out and send Steve falling slightly into Danny.

"Serves you right and it's not my fault you should know better than to think that I can remain quiet for that long. And yes I would like more coffee please." Danny ended with a sweet smile on his face as he held out his cup to Steve. "I mean really Steven, in all our time as partners how long have I ever stayed completely silent?" Steve paused tilting his head in thought before he gave up and conceded that maybe Danny was right. "Plus don't lie; you love the sound of my voice." Danny joked as Steve yet again handed him his cup making sure that his fingers touched Danny's. Now that he could touch him, he couldn't get enough. "So can I ask a question?" Steve nodded slightly grateful that Danny wasn't listening to him and has decided to take an active role in this conversation. "How did we get from the night at the bar with the guy that was nice to look at but not my type at all to you holding my hand the entire way to the hospital and even taking up residence next to my bed?"

"Mary and Grace." Steve simply replied watching Danny tilt his head in confusion. "The morning after the bar incident Mary showed up because she had a layover between flights and we had a nice conversation in which Mary basically told me I was being a scared child for not following my heart in a sense. And then the icing on the cake was when Grace showed up here with Rachel demanding to talk to me. She was worried about her Danno being so sad. Of course, I wasn't about to tell her everything and I tried to explain things to her, but she of course couldn't grasp what so hard about me loving you and you loving me that we couldn't be together. That daughter of yours is beginning to sound a lot more like you and it's kinda scary Danno. You've got yourself a very perceptive and persuasive kid there." Danny smiled in pride and nodded, he knew how amazing his daughter was. And to hear that she even came to talk to Steve about things between them made him love his daughter even more.

"She's a Williams what do you expect?" Steve smiled at the proud smile on Danny's face as he spoke. No matter if Rachel remarried or not, Grace would always be a Williams, until she herself married and that made Danny insanely proud.

"True, plus you know that I can't say no when she asks for things, so when she asked me to make it better I promised her I would. Of course, I didn't think that you would get shot before I could tell you how I felt, but I think that it all worked out in the end, don't you?"

"Yeah it worked out, but it would have been even better if I didn't have to get shot in the process. That's the only downside to that." Danny replied as a silence fell between the two, Danny was processing everything that Steve had told him and trying to figure out where they go from here.

"I know that this has been one fucked up messy situation from the beginning, but I mean it Danny. I love you so much and I don't want to waste any more time. I want to give us a shot at being together. I mean I know it won't be easy, especially because of everything that's been done and said between us, but I want to try. I want, no need, you in my life. Please tell me you still love me, even if it's only a little bit."

"You're a goof ya know that? Did you not hear me before you started your record breaking talk about feelings? I told you I still love you. And you're right, it's not going to be easy, but I'm willing to try because I happen to think that now that we're both on the same page, we're going to be pretty amazing together." Steve nods pulling Danny closer to the edge of the counter so Steve can slide between his open legs, his hands now resting on Danny's hips, while Danny's have found their way up and around Steve's neck, pulling him even closer and resting his forehead against Steve's. After a few moments of Steve just staring in Danny's eyes, he finally gets the hint and pushes his lips lightly against Danny's. Danny sighed into the chaste kiss as his fingers toyed with the hair on Steve's neck. As Danny's fingers brushed lightly against Steve's neck, Steve pulled Danny tighter to him, deepening their kiss in the process. Danny's heart stopped at the passion and love seeping through this kiss. In his wildest dreams, he never thought their first kiss would be like this. Yet it made sense with the two of them that things rarely went the way in which was easiest. With his lungs beginning to protest, Steve pulled away but not before pressing a light kiss against Danny's lips.

"You're one hundred percent sure about this, right?" Steve asked needing to it hear it again. He needed the reassurance that they were going to do this and make it last.

"No I'm two hundred percent sure about this. And there's no pressure here, we'll take things as slow as we need to. Because like they say babe, Rome wasn't built in a day." Steve feels an intense weight lifted from his chest and smiles ducking his head to kiss the smirk right off Danny's face.

_**A/N 2: Well there ya have it. I've enjoyed writing this story from beginning to end and I can't wait to see what you guys thought about this ending. Thank you again for supporting this story so much and giving it so much love. I'm currently brainstorming ideas for the next story, so if you have one let me know. ~thatredheadgirl~**_


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